


To See a World

by GeneCooper



Series: The Backwards American [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, First Time, Gene Cooper, Geniuses can be idiots, M/M, Music, Not Beta Read, Not Britpicked, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, The Doctor being jealous of himself, Timey-Wimey, Very Wibbly-Wobbly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:01:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 59,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22289827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneCooper/pseuds/GeneCooper
Summary: Gene Cooper is a lot of things. She's twice orphaned. Incredibly intelligent. She has no people skills. She's American. She can play the violin. She's never been fully alive. And she's terrified of elevators.When she meets two strangers called Ianto and Jack, they assure her the elevator she's getting on is perfectly safe. They lied. Now she finds herself constantly falling into a certain blue box. She's just trying to figure out how the box works and navigating all her backwards meetings with the Doctor and his companions.The Doctor's trying to figure out how to get Gene to really live, all while knowing her tombstone says she'll be dead in two years.
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, The Doctor/Gene Cooper, The Doctor/OC
Series: The Backwards American [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604455
Comments: 20
Kudos: 81





	1. A Strange Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. I originally posted this on Fanfiction.net several years ago. I was really young and someone got a hold of me with some really cruel words that mess with my head. Long story short, I deleted my account, but I've always wanted to finish it. So, this is me, re-writing an idea I had a long time ago, because I've always wanted to finish it. Ya'll probably don't care, because this is probably brand new to everyone here, but that's the story.  
> I don't have the computer I originally wrote this one, so this is a complete re-write. I hope it's enjoyable. I've certainly missed it.
> 
> I own nothing.

_The man in the brown trench coat walked forward and knelt in front of her. For the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid of a stranger's approach. Somehow, she felt safe. "That was a lovely performance." The man looked somewhere between sad and happy. His voice had a British accent. "Here." He held out a bouquet. There was baby's breaths and amaranths._

_"Thank you!" Gene grinned at him and took it. She smelled the flowers. They were lovely. "It's so nice of you. What's your name?"_

_"Oh, I'm...I'm just the Doctor."_

_"That's strange, but okay."_

_The Doctor laughed. "As long as you're alright with it, I guess."_

_"Gene! Time to go home!"_

_"Coming, mom!" Gene turned and called out to her mother and father. She adjusted her violin case on her back and turned back to the Doctor. "Bye, Mister Doctor. Thanks for the flowers."_

_"Always..."_

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Gene sat straight up. She'd had that dreams many times, when she slept anyway, a memory played over and over again. It was about the last memory she had of her parents. The next week they'd been in a car accident and...well, they hadn't come back home. It was the second set of parents Gene had lost. And it was the last time she'd had a full family. Her adoptive parents had been sweet and supportive. Her older adoptive sister was kind, even if they didn't always understand each other, they did care for each other. But the remainder of her living adoptive family wanted nothing to do with her. Gene was used to that though. She'd never really made friends. Her sister was all she had and...after their parents had died...well, she'd been mostly alone.

She shook off the memory and reached out for her phone, picking it up from her nightstand. There was a text from her sister.

Emily:

Hey, I'm alright. I had minor accident at work, fell down some stairs at a shoot. My head and leg aren't top notch right now. Could I get a ride home?

Gene sighed heavily. It was in relief. She never knew her birth parents, in fact, no one seemed to know where she'd come from, only that she was left on a doorstep with a violin and a locket with her name on it. Then, her adopted parents had died. Thankfully her adopted sister Emily had taken her in. They'd lived together for years. Emily was all Gene had left, she couldn't lose her too. She texted her sister back quickly and got up.

She washed her dark hair and pulled it up. Not bothering with make-up, she headed out of their apartment. It was a mess of music, math and science papers and books and she was going to clean it today so her sister wouldn't have to wander around in the mess, but the emergency would have to come first came first. The studies were coming up with a dead end. She waned more to see, but it didn't seem to exist. Maybe she should peruse the less logical ideas the world had to offer. She got into her car and turned on her music before heading for the hospital.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene sat down on a waiting room chair and fiddled anxiously with the locket around her neck. There were ten stories to the place and she wasn't particularly fond of elevators. Her sister was on the fifth floor and...well, she needed a moment to muster her courage to get in the metal contraption. She fiddled and tapped her foot. She considered the statistics. And considering the population of America, verses the number of accidents and injuries associated with elevators...well, the odds of her having a problem in an elevator was next to none.

Still, she _hated_ them. She always had. Perhaps it was more about the height, not the elevator themselves. But still...she just needed a few moments to collect herself.

"Are you alright?" An accented voice asked.

Gene turned to see a man with dark hair, wearing a suit. She wasn't usually good at talking to people, especially strangers, but something about this man seemed...safe, familiar. "Um, yeah. Just getting up the nerve." She pointed over her shoulder.

"Ah, fear of elevators. I have a relative terrified of them." He nodded. "If you'd like, we could talk, it might help."

"Thank you." Gene grinned. "I'm Gene Cooper."

The man paused for a moment, looking confused. "Oh." Then he seemed to realize her hand was hovering between them. "Right. Sorry. Jones, Ianto Jones." He held out his hand.

She shook it. "Do you live in LA?"

"No, I'm here on business, you?"

"I live in Santa Monica, my sister was in an accident, I'm here to pick her up."

"Is she alright?" Ianto asked with some concern on his face, but he also seemed like the sort who was steady, not easily riled up.

"Yeah, seems like a mild concussion and a leg break. She's alright, mostly alert by the looks of her texts."

"That's good." He smiled kindly.

Gene stayed quiet, probably for too long. She was horrible at this, interactions and small talk. It was all a mess to her. People were just so unpredictable. Too many variables for her liking. "Yeah, it's good. And what business has you here in California?"

Ianto opened his mouth, looked vaguely confused, then closed his mouth. After a second he spoke. "It's um...complicated."

"I'm pretty good with complicated."

"I'm not sure you'd believe me, right now, I'm afraid."

"Ianto, my darling, my dearest buttercup." A tall, American man in a long coat walked down the hallway. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, sexy."

"Oh, for the love of God, stop flirting." A Welsh woman called after him.

"That's _my_ cue, I'm afraid." Ianto stood up. "Sir, we've got a bit of _a...situation."_

"And what is that, my dearest mate? Oh...oooooh my." The American man came to a halt just feet from where Gene sat. His eyes were wide and he stared at her. "Jesus, you're so...um...different."

"Pardon?" Gene asked. Wondering if she'd heard him right.

"Right. Um...on a separate note, which also revolves around a problematic situation..." Jack barely turned away from Gene to speak. "We've got to take care of that problem on the sixth floor." He said to Ianto then turned to Gene. He had a very charming, bright, kind, smile. "Captain Jack Harkness, by the way. And what's your name, beautiful?" He held out his hand.

Gene turned a bit pink. No one had called _her_ beautiful before. "Gene."

He took her hand, leaned down and pressed a gentle, kind kiss to her knuckles. "It's my absolute pleasure to see you, Gene." He ran his thumb over her knuckles, back and forth, gently. "If you _ever_ find yourself in Cardiff, look me up, I'll make sure you have a comfortable stay." He winked.

"Sir..." Ianto sighed heavily. "May I remind you of a few _key_ things? One of the lesser notes of those things, I might add, is that I'm standing here. And that's harassment, sir, she didn't ask for that."

"Sorry, dear. I can't help it." He kissed Ianto's cheek. "She's a beautiful young lady. I have lots of room for love, Yan."

"Well this is a mess, isn't it?" The woman huffed out a sigh. "Not that I'm against this touching, strange, meeting...but, we should, go, Sir."

"Yeah... I know, I just..." Jack turned and looked at Gene again. He reached out toward her, then lowered his hand and shook his head.

"Come on, Jack, another time." Ianto put an arm around him. "Nice to meet you, Gene. You'll be alright. It's just an elevator."

"Um...thank you." Gene was pretty sure she'd never had such a weird encounter before in her life. The three got onto the elevator and left her, confused. Why did they act so strangely?

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"Jack, what was _that_ about?" Gwen asked. "And...haven't I seen her before? How did she not recognize us? I just played along with it."

"She hasn't met us yet. It was so strange looking at her. It was so weird, like looking at an unfinished house." Jack whispered. "What's the date, Ianto?" He asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small notebook. There were thin pages, full of small notes. Some about the rift, some about the Doctor, mostly about Ianto, and, of course, some about Gene.

"November the fifteenth," Ianto answered.

Jack came to a halt on a particular page and froze. "Oh God... It was _me_ all along."

"Sorry?" Gwen wondered.

"Well, we'll be taking out more than just an alien threat today. This time, we've got a bigger fish to fry." Jack smiled triumphantly and put his notebook in his pocket. "Sooo, Ianto, ever broken an elevator before?"

"Jesus..." Ianto whispered, shaking his head. "Please tell me you aren't thinking what I think you are."

"What are you two doing?"

"Killing two birds with one stone." Jack grinned. "Metaphorically, of course. Or...well, perhaps literally too."

-DWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene pressed the button on the elevator. She'd nearly decided to climb the stairs after all, but no...she was going to do it. She stepped onto the elevator and closed her eyes. As the door closed, she started to calculate the number of meters the Earth would spin before she got to her floor. The numbers felt good. They helped ease the panic, helped her ignore the way sweat covered her hands and how her heart pounded.

She sighed in relief when the doors opened and leapt out of them. Quickly, she made her way to her sister's room.

"You made it." Emily said with a grin. Her leg was in a cast and there was a bruise on her head.

"What trouble did you get into this time?"

"Oh, the usual. I tripped like a fucking idiot." Emily shrugged.

"You're still you, can't be too concussed." Gene teased.

Emily made a non-committal sound. "I'm mostly here, just somethings are unscrewed upstairs. They said I'll be a little scrambled, but it wasn't too serious...ish."

Gene shook her head. "Let's get your feet up and get you home and comfy."

"Okay. Thanks for coming to get me."

"Always, sis." Gene promised. "Just one moment, I've gotta take care of the paperwork for you." Gene went out to sign out her sister and get the rundown on how to look after her.

"I know you somehow." The nurse commented.

"Have we met?" Gene felt horrible. How had she forgotten meeting someone? She was usually good at faces, even if she couldn't interact with people for shit, she usually remembered their faces and names at the very least.

"Oh, I saw you at the symphony. You were the special guest violinist. The child prodigy."

Gene blushed. "Um, yeah, you might've seen me there."

"It's a shame you're not doing shows more often. You have so much talent."

"Well, I love violin, but I'm pursuing more math and science right now."

"Oh, what types of math and science?"

"All of them." Gene commented. She found herself quite good at math and science, and she found the numbers and logic reassuring. She liked having answers. But she wanted to experience more of the unknowns, the things that couldn't be easily measured. Music was really the closest thing she understood to the unknown, but even that was guided by math as much as passion.

"All of them?"

"Anything I can get my hands on. I just...want to learn."

"So you're in college?"

"Not really. Independent study." Gene shrugged. She didn't want to have this conversation anymore. She knew she was weird and horrible at socializing. No one wanted that around, and, frankly, she didn't want to suffer through the awkwardness of it. "Is that all I needed?"

"Um, yes."

Gene smiled and thanked her before heading back to her sister.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"Why did you send Gwen away again?" Ianto asked, following Jack.

"During my time traveling with the Doctor I've met lots of people. Some of them kept journals to help keep their timelines in a semblance of an order."

"Alright?"

"Well, I keep a tiny notebook. Usually of notable things, nothing too complex. I don't really keep an in-depth account of anybody's life, but I have a few dates and times that are important." Jack nodded. "November fifteenth, 2:58PM Gene Cooper forgets her sister's phone and enters the elevator to go retrieve it. There is a malfunction in several systems, the elevator goes too high and mysteriously rips apart with the woman inside."

"Right...and we're going to stop it?" Ianto asked. "I mean, you don't want her hurt, right?"

"Nope, we're the ones who are going to make sure all of the fail-safes stop working and that she falls exactly as she's supposed to. I always wondered how it ripped apart...guess we'll have to improvise."

"Jack-!"

"Ianto, trust me?" Jack turned and looked at his lover with a serious expression.

"Always." Ianto nodded. "But what I still don't understand is how she didn't know who I was."

"Time travel's tricky, Yan. You get used to it after a while." Jack laughed. "Now let's break this elevator."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene looked at the elevator and wrung her hands. The door opened and she got onto the death box. She hated these damn things. She pressed her button and cursed herself for leaving her sister's phone upstairs. She should have double checked. There was nothing good that could come of riding the elevator three times in one day. The statistics stacked against her just got worse (sure, not enough to doom her, but still worse). She would definitely walk down the stairs on the way back.

She started to count the seconds as her hands began to sweat. It was hard to slow her breathing. She opened her eyes and looked at the old-fashioned needle that moved with each floor. Floor three, four, five, six... What the hell? She pressed the five button again. She wanted out. The elevator didn't react, wouldn't stop, wouldn't go to any floor. It just kept going up.

The lights flickered and the elevator shook violently. Her head hit the wall hard, stunning her for a moment.

Gene yelped, her breath growing ragged. The elevator came to a stop between floors. The elevator went dark and emergency lights flooded the place in red light. Gene leaned against the wall, holding the railing as she panicked. The emergency button was across from her. She just has to cross the elevator and press the button, help would come. She mustered all of her bravery and and pushed herself upright. She couldn't bare to let go of the railing. She stretched her hand, but couldn't reach.

"Come on...come on." She huffed, then let go, reaching out for her salvation.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Ianto grabbed Jack's hands. "Do we really have to do this?"

Jack kissed both of Ianto's hands. "I love you. If we don't do this a lot of bad things will happen."

"I don't understand."

"Me neither..." Jack said. "But I have notes about this date, it's pivotal." He backed up, pulling Ianto safely with him. "Ready?"

"I can't believe we're doing this."

"Don't worry, should be just fine. If my message meets its mark." Jack closed his eyes, projected his thoughts, then lifted his blaster.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene's hand fell off the railing and she stretched toward the emergency button. She heard something horrific. Snapping, crunching, metallic screeching. It was horrible. The top of the elevator shot up. She reached for the railing, but the bottom of the elevator ripped away from the top of the elevator. Gene didn't reach the rail in time.

Then...free fall.

Gene screamed.

Her worst fear. She was falling, falling, falling. Just like all of her worst nightmares. All the many dreams of falling toward doom and she was doing it. Falling.

And soon she'd hit the bottom.

Nightmare complete with a splat.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"Voila!" The Doctor smiled. "Look at that!"

"Look at what?" Donna asked as the TARDIS shook.

The Doctor held out his psychic paper happily. "Message from Gene."

Donna took the paper and read it out. "Falling, please catch me. -Gene." Donna frowned. "But what's all the numbers at the bottom for?"

"Coordinates and a timestamp!" The Doctor beamed. "It's been too long since I've seen Gene."

"Gene, the girl you said was with you just a week before I joined you? And who is she again?"

"It's...a long story. Really, it all depends on what version of her shows up, it varies, you know? I don't want to get ahead of myself and tell you too much or it may screw up the timeline, because I never know which Gene's showing up. Short version, Gene Cooper, brilliant young woman, talented in math, science, and music. She figured out time travel at the age of fourteen. So ahead of her time it would take centuries for humans to figure out her work and create the first vortex manipulator using her ideas and formulas. She's brilliant, better yet, she's a good person...well, once she let herself be. You'll adore her and she'll love you." The Doctor threw a few switches, turned a nob, then pressed a button. "Allons-y."

He ran and threw open the door. A young woman screamed in terror as she fell into the TARDIS.

"I've gotcha, Genie." The Doctor called, then huffed as he caught the petite woman. Though she was light, she had fallen down from quite a height, catching her wasn't easy, but he wouldn't drop her. "You're safe now."

Gene latched onto him, shaking like a leaf and breathing hard.

"Sh, you're alright. Promise." The Doctor kicked the door closed, walked into the TARDIS, and gently put Gene down on her feet by the console. She had to look up to him, but then again, she had to look up to most people. "You alright?" He asked, putting his hands on her shoulders, one hand lifting up to cup her cheek and check for any injuries. "You look alright, bit bruised up, frightened out of your mind though. Why are you upset? You must've known I'd be here. I got your call."

Gene yanked herself back suddenly and stumbled on the console, hitting the ground. "Who are you?"

"I thought you said she was your friend?" Donna said.

Gene scrambled backwards until she met the railing. "Who are you? Where am I? What do you mean you 'got my call?'"

"It's me Gene, the Doctor. Is it a new face for you? Sorry. I do that sometimes. Which face are we on. Nine? God forbid you've seen Eleven before seeing me for the first time. I'm the Tenth me. Must be a new face to you, sorry. TARDIS is the same though, so intuitive leap..."

"You called for help, see?" Donna held out the psychic paper.

"That's just a blank slip of paper."

"She's a genius, Donna, it won't work on her. She sees through it." The Doctor shook his head.

"What are you talking about?!" She demanded as she stood up.

The Doctor's face fell, and his chest hurt. "You...really don't know me? Gene...is this the _first_ time we've met?"

"How do you know my name?" She squeezed her eyes shut the shook her head. "It has to be a dream. It has to." But then she paused. She had seen the man in front of her before. "You were at my recital, when I was a kid. You were so sad...you gave me fl-"

"No, no, no, don't tell me anything. I haven't done it yet, so don't tell me." The Doctor shook his head and held up his hands. "Right...I never thought I'd have to explain this to you. I mean, I knew I'd have to explain it to you, but... I'm starting this all wrong." The Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor, I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. You're currently in my spaceship: the TARDIS."

"Huh?"

"Time and relative dimension in space, that's what TARDIS stands for." The Doctor explained. "I can travel in time...and space. You and I have met before, but it's in my past and your future."

"He sounds like a loon, I know, but it's true." Donna said. "My name's Donna."

"Okay, okay...just one second." Gene held up her hand. "I need processing time."

"Yeah, I did too. Take your time." Donna commented.

The Doctor watched, concerned as Gene stood there, eyes closed.

"Okay, if you're from another planet, why do you sound British?"

"That's your first question? Time travel, aliens, space, and that's your first question?" Donna demanded.

"Time travel and space travel is all possible mathematically and scientifically speaking. And if time travel exists at any point in the timeline then it stands to reason that it exists at all points in history. That part doesn't bother me as much, yes it's unexpected to be in such a device in that the statistics of this happening are very very small, but I can accept it as reality. Aliens, are also basically a statistical absolute in an infinite universe. I just don't understand the voice."

"Translation circuits on my ship. She favors the accent."

"Right..." Gene said, looking a bit pale. "My head hurts."

"I know it's a lot of information at once." The Doctor said, trying to soothe her.

"No, I hit it when the elevator stopped. I'm kinda woozy."

"Gene?"

The petite, auburn-haired girl reached out for the rail. Her hand missed and she started to fall.

"Gene!"


	2. Bathed in Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gene finds herself on a spaceship and gets a chance to see the stars...only to promptly get sent back to Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here starts all the backwards crazy stuff.

"Mild concussion. Thank goodness. TARDIS'll make her good as new." The Doctor said, gently brushing her hair back.

"You know her really well. I mean, I'm new to all this, but...you've known her a while." Donna pointed out.

"Many years. It's actually quite strange how she looks at me right now. The thing is, you're probably going to meet the future her shortly. She is just on a short trip. That means this version of her...she's going to have to go back to where she was." He frowned. "I've missed her though."

"Mmm..." Gene slowly shifted her head.

The Doctor leaned back, wanting to give her her space. He knew how she was when she was younger. She liked having her space. "You alright?"

A pair of bright blue eyes cracked open. "Oh, you're still here. Not a dream then."

"Nope." Donna answered.

"So...I'm in a spaceship?"

"Wanna see?" The Doctor grinned.

"Yeah. I mean, I've had all these theories, but..."

"Allons-y." He held out her hand to her, waiting expectantly.

She narrowed her eyes but took his hand. The three left the med bay and walked along large hallways. "This is _huge._ How did you catch me in a ship this size in a elevator shaft? Unless..."

"It's bigger on the inside." Donna commented.

"So it's dimensionally transcendental?"

The Doctor smiled. "You never disappoint, Gene. Of course the math and science sort of takes the magic out." He laughed.

"The math and science _is_ where the magic starts. How was this built? I mean if the outside really is smaller than the inside, that means you have two different dimensions taking place in two different locations in space-time but still anchored together. That ability alone. It exists in theory, but I have no clue how you could do that, let alone harness that ability to create something, like a ship. How big is it on the inside?"

"Infinite as far as I know. I've never seen the whole thing." The Doctor answered. "And I'm...a couple hundred years old...and it's basically my house."

"Oh my God, that's...WOW. I have goosebumps. This is awesome. So many numbers in my head. I just want to figure them all out and-"

"Stop trying to figure it out and start living it." The Doctor urged. He pulled her through the console room, running her up the stairs. "Come on." He walked to the doors and threw them open.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene wanted to figure out how all of it worked. She wanted to know how the theoretical became practical. There was so much she could learn from this.

"Stop trying to figure it out and start living it." The Doctor said.

Gene didn't understand him. The fun was figuring out the dynamics of it. What did he mean? Was this one of those less tangible things she wished she understood better, like emotions or literature or history and people? Was that what he was talking about?

"Come on."

Gene had to run to keep up with him and she was glad she opted to wear tennis shoes. He threw open the doors.

"Can you quantify that?" The Doctor asked.

Gene gasped. For the first time there were no numbers, no calculations, no formulas that could explain what she was seeing. There were more stars in the sky than any set of exponential could help her define. The lights, the colors. It was beautiful. "That's..."

"Amazin' right?" Donna asked.

"There's so much out there. I mean...so much." The concept of infinity wasn't a new thing to Gene, but it was another thing entirely to see it.

"Do you want to feel it?"

"Feel it?" Gene asked, looking at the Doctor.

"Step out there." The Doctor said. "You'd be safe, we have our own little bubble. Go."

"I might just fly away."

"Nope. I've got you." The Doctor held out his hand.

"Do it, he'll make sure you don't fly off." Donna promised.

Her curiosity was too intense for her fear of contact to stop her. Gene took his hand and stepped out into space.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor had hated it, hated that someone he knew so well looked at him with mistrust and without recognition. But this...seeing her first reaction to the universe. That was special. That was amazing.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"This is _crazy."_ Gene whispered after she stepped back in from the stars. "So you just knew to come and catch me?"

"Well, you sent a distress call." Donna commented. "He said so."

"No, I didn't." Gene shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Well, someone did. Come to think of it, the writing was off, looked like someone else's...not writing I'm familiar with though... Hm. Interesting." The Doctor thought. "Who'd send me a message about Gene, knowing I'd get it and...huh... I like a good mystery." He looked at Gene. "Meet anyone weird lately?"

"A kind gentleman named Ianto, he was...a bit weird."

"That name sounds familiar." The Doctor frowned.

"And a rather charismatic person who... I'm not great with social cues, but I think he was hitting on me."

"Oh wait!" The Doctor frowned. "Dark hair? Bit shorter than me? Long coat? Insufferable flirt? No sense of personal space?"

"Yeah, that's him. His name was Captain Jack Harkness."

"That explains the message. He's traveled with me before. Didn't know he was capable of telepathic communication though, that's new. Huh... I'll have to ask him next time I see him." The Doctor shrugged. A series of beeps filled the air. "Oh, lord."

"What's wrong?" Donna asked.

"Gene's calling me." He rubbed his head. "I'm starting to get what Genie meant when she said her life is crazy."

"I'm right here." Gene waved her hand.

"Sorry, for the sake of everyone's sanity, _GENE_ is standing in front of me, _GENIE_ is calling me. Well, we'll have to sort this. I'm sorry, but you have to go back to the hospital."

Gene almost missed what he said as she was trying to calculate the odds of a future her calling at the same time as her visit. "What?!" Gene asked. "After showing me what's outside those doors, you're sending me back?" She was curious. There was a sense of mystery in the universe again and she wanted to figure it out.

"That's why you were so angry with me that one time; I get it now." The Doctor pointed out. He strode forward and grabbed her forearms.

Gene shifted uncomfortably. It felt weird. No one touched her this much. She found it almost stomach turning.

"Listen, it's nothing personal, but a paradox isn't fun. I promise we'll see each other soon, but you have to go back to the hospital for now."

"You're serious? Me from the future is calling you?"

"Yes! Give me a mo." He rushed to the console and pressed a few buttons. "Genie, don't talk just yet, I need you to listen because it's important."

A long-suffering sigh echoed through the TARDIS, but no one spoke.

"Right. I seem to have stumbled upon you, rather, you stumbled upon me and you're asking for proof of...basically your own existence. It's confusing as always, Genie, can you bring some sanity?"

A laugh filled the air. "Oh well, this is complicated. Well, that's my life isn't it?"

Gene's jaw dropped when she heard her own voice speak to her. "But that's me."

"Of course I'm you, who else would I be?" Her older self commented. "Let me tell you something, Gene. I know you're afraid of lots of things. And you'll want further _proof_ that I am you, so I'll just say right now that when you get home you'll drop your favorite mug and it'll shatter." The older version said over the speaker. "More importantly, if you ever see a blue box, you run. You run as fast as you can to it and if there's an idiot Doctor in it, you follow him. Because you have so many answers to so many equations and hypothesis... But he'll show you answers you've been begging to know about the universe. You may know how life works, Gene...but you need to learn how to have one. So if you see the TARDIS, you run for it. Wear flats or tennis shoes at all times, it's a must. Now, Doctor, if you could please dump the younger me off somewhere-Nope! Too vague. Drop her off _specifically_ at the hospital, don't you _dare_ make her walk. Just drop her off where you found her, well, somewhere were there is a decent floor anyways, so you can pick me up. That'd be awesome of you to pick me up, I'm a bit out of juice with this vortex manipulator and I don't feel like catching a flight to Cardiff to refuel at the rift. Eleven hours is just too long on a plane and I really don't want to bother J-um-Torchwood again. I'm spoiled rotten now by the TARDIS, aren't I?"

"I'll be right there to pick you up, my-American friend." The Doctor hesitated a bit, strangely.

"That's Jack, not me." The older Gene laughed. "See you soon, Doctor."

"Yes, and expect to meet a new friend."

"Given the timeline...hm. Is it Donna?"

"Yup."

"Donna?! Oh my gosh, I love Donna!" Genie exclaimed. "Can't wait to see you and one of my favorite red-heads of all time."

"I think I'll like her." Donna commented.

The Doctor smiled and pressed a button. "Well, Gene Prime, time for you to go home."

"She didn't sound like me." Gene shook her head. The woman on the phone had the same voice as her, but...it was happy, full of a joy and wonder that seemed genuine. Gene knew she didn't have that quality in her voice. Most people found her voice to be flat.

"Trust me. That's you." The Doctor laughed. "Just a little bit down the line. Brilliant, isn't it? Alright, let's get you back to the hospital."

"But there's so many questions I have." Gene protested.

The Doctor walked forward and put his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me. I promise, you'll see me soon and I will help you see all of that out there, because, Gene, you're going to love it. One of my favorite things is to show people the expanse of the universe and you deserve that, but I can't do it right now, because having two Gene Coopers on the same ship at the same time is a problem. Paradoxes are...not pleasant, but keep your ears and eyes open. I'll pop around soon." He let go of her and rushed to the console. "Alright, hospital coming right up. Don't worry, I won't pop you back into the elevator, but you might want to take the stairs. Same time, same place. It'll be like you never left."

The TARDIS made a whirring noise. There was some brief shaking and then everything went still.

"Here we are." The Doctor turned and looked at her, a gentle smile on his face. "Closet in the hospital, floor five. You were missing your sister's phone, right?"

"How do you know that?" Gene asked.

"Because you told me." He chuckled.

Gene walked forward and opened the doors. They were indeed parked in a closet. "Everywhere and when in the universe and you land in a closet... It's so..."

"Stupid?" Donna suggested.

"Unreal." Gene turned and looked at the Doctor. "There's more out there?"

"And you'll get to see it, but right now you need to go home."

"Yeah... Emily has a concussion and...I do need to take care of her."

"The universe will be out there for you. And don't be too shocked if I have a different face the next time you see me."

"A different face? You know what... I'll just...go along with it."

"Now you're getting it." He beamed. "I'll see you in about a week, and don't forget the phone you left in the hospital room."

"Alright..." Gene shook her head and stepped into the closet. The doors closed behind her, but she almost thought she saw a frown on the Doctor's face as they closed. Then the blue box that was, indeed, very much smaller than the inside. "Whoa." She was tempted to jump back on, to try to figure out how it worked. The box flickered and vanished with a distinctive whirring sound.

-DWDWDWDWDWDW-

After Gene drove her sister home she went into the kitchen.

"Heeey, can I have coffee?" Emily called from the couch.

"Caffeine is bad for you now."

"Come on, I want something hot and I'm supposed to stay awake. Please. I'm the one with a banged-up head."

"Warm cider?" Gene asked.

"Ugh, fine. Deal." Emily sighed. "But as soon as I can, I'm gonna have coffee."

Gene opened her cupboard, something tipped over and hit a mug. The green and brown mug she adored so much fell out of the cupboard. She reached out and the mug glanced off her fingers and hit the tile floor, shattering. "Oh fuck." Gene snapped. The older her had been right. She'd dropped her favorite mug...and it was gone now.

"You okay?"

"Yeah...just broke my favorite mug." Gene frowned and bent down, looking at the pieces. "I'll bring the drink in just a moment." She bent down and cleaned up the mess. If this had happened, maybe the blue box was going to show up after all. "Cinnamon?"

"Yes, please."

Gene nodded and made the drinks. She curled up on the chair to look after her sister while Emily played her favorite show on the television. Her mind couldn't stay focused though. There were too many things out there in the universe. More than Gene had even realized. And all she'd gotten to see was one little section where she stood with the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love. <3


	3. The End of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gene doesn't really know how to socialize, even at the end of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a lot of stuff done on this, so lots of updates for a while.

"Yeah, sis, I'll make dinner. I'm walking home with the groceries now." Gene said on her phone. Her other hand was carrying a cloth bag full of vegetables and some rice.

"That's awesome. I've had a long day. And I just want to relax...by the way, I'm going out tomorrow night, is that okay?" Emily wondered.

"You can do whatever you want to." Gene answered. "Matt again?"

"Yeah." She could hear the blush in her sister's voice.

Gene was happy for her older sister, really she was. But she was scared. Her birth parents had left her at an orphanage with nothing but a onesie and a locket, which she never took off. Of her adoptive family both of her parents had died. None of her extended family spoke to her, in fact, most of them treated her with disdain when they had to see her. Gene had never made friends, even people she worked with when she played with orchestras or when she gave lectures in universities, people regarded her with a distance. No one seemed to get along with her, and she didn't know how to get along with others, she'd never had the practice. Emily was her only friend, only family, only person left in her life who regarded her with any kindness or understanding.

Emily was leaving. Emily was in love with Matt and she had been dating him for almost a year. Marriage was going to follow soon, Gene could tell. And Matt was good for her. Gene couldn't really find much to talk about with Matt, but he seemed nice enough and he treated her sister like she was his world.

It was simple math. Everyone had left Gene. For a while it was one plus one: Gene and her sister. Eventually, the sister would be removed from the equation and there would just be one left. A solitary number. Just 1.

"Cool. Well, I'll be home soon. I'm about five minutes out."

"Okay, see you soon."

Gene hung up and slid her phone into the pocket of her zip-up hoodie. Soon the cool spring breezes would fade and she wouldn't need the warmth anymore, she couldn't wait for the sun to come back.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor was lonely. He'd been on his own for too long. He started to fly away, but he went back. He landed and headed out. He opened the TARDIS and stepped outside, looking at Rose. "Did I also mention it travels in time?"

A few seconds later Rose ran into the TARDIS.

The Doctor smiled and adjusted his black coat, heading for the console. "Right then, Rose Tyler, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time? It's your choice. What's it-" The Doctor froze. There was a sticky note on the console that hadn't been there when he'd gone out to talk to Rose. "Who's here?" He stood up straight and looked around.

"What do ya mean?" Rose asked.

"Someone's been here. They left a note." He stepped to the side and did a scan, but...the TARDIS showed that whoever had been in the TARDIS while his back was turned had already left. They'd only touched one thing and it was the sticky note. He lifted it and read it. It was a location in Santa Monica and a time stamp. The only problem with the note was that it had his name on it in Gallifreyan.

There's someone you need to meet. Fair warning, she might be a bit grumpy. Don't let that deter you.

Yours,

M.P.

P.S. You owe me one.

"Need to make a quick stop, but then you get to choose, past or future." The Doctor offered to Rose, before he started to head out. He liked a mystery, but he wasn't sure he liked that someone knew his name. The list of people who knew it was short and none of which had the initials M.P.

"Where to, then?"

"A sunny beach. Ever been to LA?"

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene looked toward the ocean and smiled, listening to the waves crash as she neared her shared apartment with her sister. They were lucky, really. Her sister worked part time, only because she was too proud to not work, while perusing her modeling and acting career. She'd been doing well, Gene knew she'd get more popular, it was a matter of time. Gene managed to get money with her compositions, violin performances, and lectures, but she didn't work full time. She often took care of the housework so her sister wouldn't have to while she attended classes, worked, and worked out.

Gene liked the ocean in a way she couldn't define. She found peace there.

A whirring sound covered the sound of the tide. Gene turned and looked. There was a blue box materializing behind her. The TARDIS. Her eyes widened and she ran forward.

The door opened and revealed two strangers. There was a tall gentleman with dark hair, a black leather jacket, black pants and shoes. In startling contrast, his eyes were a bright shade of blue. The young woman who stepped out next to him was wearing older styled clothes and had blonde hair.

"So this is what LA looks like. What're we here for?" The girl asked.

"Don't know, supposed to meet someone." The man shrugged, looking around.

Gene slowed down and walked forward. The Doctor, the other one with the long coat and the suit and the converse, had said that his face might be different, but this was more than just a different face. His whole body was different.

"Doctor?" Gene tried.

"That's me. And..." The man grinned. "You're Gene Cooper. I've read your biography, you're brilliant."

"Wh-what? I don't have a biography."

"Will do." He walked forward and held out his hand. "The mother of human time travel, it's amazing to meet you."

"You act like you haven't _met_ me." Gene frowned. But she'd met the Doctor...right?

"Well, I haven't." His hand was still hovering between them.

"You dropped me off at the hospital from your TARDIS and said you'd be back in about a week."

"I don't recall doing that, but it sounds like me."

"I've waited ,and your ship shows up now," Gene looked down at her watch. "Five months, seventeen days, three hours, fifty-two minutes, and...fifteen seconds later? What happened to 'about a week?'"

"Um... I'm sorry?" The Doctor lowered his hand, looking a bit confused. "But I've literally never met you. I'm sorry to have upset you. I just got this note...mysteriously. I love a good mystery."

Gene paused. Maybe her anger wasn't necessary. She hadn't seen him before, at least not this Doctor, and how did that even work? How could the same person have different faces? Either way, time travel could mean that the man in front of her really hadn't met her before...so it technically wouldn't be his fault. "Okay. So I accept that it wasn't your fault. But, what note?"

"This one." The Doctor held out a sticky note, but his thumb was covering the markings that indicated his name. "No anyone by those initials?"

"No." Gene shook her head. "I don't know any M.Ps. But you...or at least I think it was you said we would meet again. You do change your face right? Because this is weird."

"This old thing? Yeah, it changes from time to time. So you've met a Doctor further down the line... Was he ginger? No, wait, don't tell me, I want it to be a surprise." He shook his head. "Well, the more the merrier, come on. Time and space must be like a jungle gym to Gene Cooper. You should come with us."

"I...have groceries." Gene paused, and she needed to take the groceries home and cook dinner for her sister.

"Okie dokie. If you really want to pass up traveling the wide universe because dinner's in that bag, I won't stop you."

Gene looked from the TARDIS to her apartment that was just thirty yards away. She turned and saw the Doctor hold out his hand to her.

"What's it gonna be?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh Jesus." She put her grocery bag in a bush and looked down at her watch. She memorized the time, because she wasn't going to let the Doctor make her late again. The universe was calling and she wasn't going to stay home. She had a chance to go and she was going to take it. It would be insane not to. "I'm in."

"Come on then."

Gene didn't take his hand, but he didn't seem to take offense to it the way most people did. The other Doctor had just been outwardly touchy, this one allowed her her space. Were they even the same person or was it an inherited title? She stepped into the box after them and paused. "It's amazing."

"Bigger on the inside, awesome, right?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, I've been studying theories in dimensionally transcendental objects and how it could be done in practicality." The answer seemed just out of reach, as if a voice were whispering the answer, but the voice was a hair too quiet for her to understand.

"Was that English?" Rose asked.

"Gene here is an expert mathematician and a scientist."

"I wouldn't say expert. I'm just... I'm learning. I'm always learning."

"That's what separates the smart people from the genii. The genii of the world will always keep looking for answers. The smartest people in the world are the ones who are still humbled by the things they don't know." The Doctor said, walking toward the console. "Shut the door, we'll have a draft."

Gene closed the door and shook her head. Uncomfortable with the attention. Sure, she was good at math and science and violin, but...at the end of the day she was just like everyone else, trying to learn more, trying to answer questions that confused her. "Um... Question. You look different...then the last time I saw you. Are you still the Doctor, is that a title?"

"What do you know about jellyfish?" The Doctor asked.

"Like transdifferentiation? Like the 'immortal jellyfish?'" Gene nodded. "Oh, so its like you reprogram who you are. So memories remain intact and existence is the same, but the appearance and mannerisms may be different?"

"Very good." He nodded. "Like that, but a little different."

"She speaks in a different language, I swear. And how haven't I seen you before if your some science-y person?" Rose asked. "If she's famous or something, wouldn't I know?"

"We picked her up in twenty-twenty-three."

"My first brush with any sort of fame was in twenty-fourteen." Gene frowned. "It was the first time I performed with a symphony. I was thirteen."

"Thirteen in twenty-fourteen? That makes you like...twenty-two?"

"Yeah... So...when are you from? God, that sounds weird."

"Two thousand five." Rose answered. "I'm Rose, by the way, Rose Tyler."

"Gene." She gently shook her hand.

"Nice, really nice, you two. Now, Rose Tyler, the past or the future?"

Rose turned and smiled. "The future."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene stood at the window, looking at the Earth and the sun with wide eyes. She could tell it was the future, just by the way the sun looked. "That's what it looks like." It was one thing to read about it and look through a telescope, but to see it. Wow. The Doctor and Rose were speaking behind her.

"Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?" Rose asked.

"I'm not saving it, time's up."

Gene agreed. At this point, the Earth, shy of tying a figurative lasso around it and pulling it to a different galaxy, was doomed. "It's too late for the Earth." Gene said.

"Don't say things like that." Rose protested. "What about the people?"

"It's empty. They're all gone, no one left." The Doctor shrugged.

"Just me, then." Rose commented. "I mean, just us."

Gene frowned. It wasn't abnormal. There were two problems she faced. Other people either alienated her by putting her on a pedestal for her perceived superiority in her fields, or decided she was to alien to be considered one of the 'normal' people. It made it all the more difficult to learn social behaviors, which, in turn, just made her dislike socializing. Maybe she shouldn't have come. Feeling like an outcast was something she could only deal with in short intervals, one of the many reasons why she wouldn't teach, even though her university asked her to. She was already feeling like she needed a way out.

"Who the hell are you?" A voice called.

Gene turned to see a blue-skinned man walking toward them.

"Oh, that's nice; thanks." The Doctor ginned, looking for something in his pockets.

"But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked, they're on their way any second now." The blue man protested.

"That's me; I'm a guest." The Doctor held up a familiar item. It was a leather wallet, with the same blank paper Gene had seen before. "Look, I've got an invitation. Look, there, you see? It's fine. The Doctor, plus two. I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler and Gene...Smith. They're my plus two. Is that alright?"

"Smith?" Gene whispered to the Doctor after the Steward had seemed to accept what the Doctor had said.

"Chance your name might be recognized. It's probably a slim chance, but better safe than sorry." The Doctor shrugged.

"How'd you do that?" Rose asked.

"The paper's slightly psychic, it shows people whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time." The Doctor slipped it back into his pocket.

"It doesn't work on me..."

"Not surprised in the least." The Doctor said without any hesitation.

"That guy's blue." Rose whispered.

"Yeah."

"Okay." Rose sighed.

Suddenly, Gene felt a bit claustrophobic. There were a host of staff in the area, followed by people in attendance. Gene slowly worked her way to the edge of the room, to get away from the group. There she could watch the Doctor and Rose interact with everyone.

"You alright?"

Gene jumped and turned to see a familiar man, standing next to a face in a huge box. "Um... Ianto?"

"Mmhm." The Welsh man nodded. "Gene? Are you alright? You look a bit pale."

"How are you here?" Gene asked, then frowned. "How have you aged so much?" Ianto's hair was all grey, as was the beard on his face. He had the wrinkles of a man who'd lead a mostly happy life, though some of the lines spoke of stress. He had to be somewhere in his seventies, but he still looked strong, not frail or unsteady. Then again, he hadn't aged too much considering how many years they were in the future.

Ianto laughed and turned to face the man in the glass. "She's good at distraction already, that's amusing." He shook his head. "I'm a time traveler, love, look here." He held out his wrist and rolled up his sleeve. "See?" He showed some sort of leather cuff. "Vortex manipulator, Man's way to time travel, based off of your calculations. Now, I'll ask again, are you alright?"

"It's just a lot of people."

"Social anxiety and a fear of elevators, poor dear."

"I don't fit in. I'm not good with people."

" _Yet_." The face behind the glass said, but it wasn't out loud. It was as if he spoke...into Gene's head. "Don't worry, you'll learn. You're a quick study."

"How can you know that?" Gene shook her head. "And how did you do that? With...my head? I heard you in my head."

"He speaks telepathically... The rest is well, because he knows you." Ianto chuckled.

"Does everyone in the universe know me before I've met them?"

 _"A fair share. I always called you the Backwards American."_ The face said in her head.

It was strange, though she'd only seen these people once, but she felt at ease with them. She vary rarely felt safe with anyone. "Wait, you called me 'love,' why?" She turned to Ianto.

"Well..." Ianto looked at the face, biting his lip. "Um, I can't really say, but you'll find out." He looked at the face. "This is weird, it's always weird. Well, love, I understand you're scared, but I promise you that you'll be alright."

"Last time you said that my elevator tore in two."

The face in the glass laughed. _"Oh, that did happen, Yan, what else are you going to promise?"_

"In my defense, she landed safely and soundly." Ianto defended himself before he turned to Gene. "The point is, that for a certified genius, you're an idiot about a lot of things. You're scared, and that's alright. But you have to walk past that." He put his hand on her lower back.

She squirmed a little. It wasn't uncomfortable, not as uncomfortable as a normal stranger touching her, but she still wasn't at ease with it.

Ianto withdrew his hand so quickly it was as if he'd been burned. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I forgot how sensitive you were to touch."

"Were?" Gene asked curiously. She'd never liked touch very much. Her adoptive parents had even noted that as a baby she'd shied away from being held. It had taken her years to accept the rare hugs she got from her parents and sister. A childhood psychologist had suggested that perhaps her birth parents had abused Gene before giving her up. Gene couldn't remember it, but it did make sense, given her aversion to people touching her. She'd grown to understand people would do it and she'd gotten better at hiding her reactions...but she still hated it.

"Not everything stays the same, Gene. We just need to introduce a catalyst. Now, go. Interact. I know you have questions, but you won't find answers sitting in the corner while history is made."

"This is the future."

" _No, it's the present, and that is when history and the future are made._ " The face said.

"That's...very smart." Gene nodded.

 _"A wise man told me that once."_ The face nodded. _"Now go. Trust us, and if you find yourself falling or afraid, well, the Doctor has a good track record of catching people. You have questions, the universe has answers."_

"Yeah...like how is that woman a human? Or alive for that matter?" Gene looked up, finally seeing the piece of flesh that was apparently 'human.' "I wonder how that works."

"That's the Gene I know, go and find out." Ianto grinned, then nudged her forward.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"Ah, Gene, have you seen Rose? She seemed to run off, much like you. Where'd you go?" The Doctor asked.

"Got nervous. I'm not great with people."

"You have to be around people to get good with people." The Doctor shrugged. "You've lived most your life, to this point. in isolation, right?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Read your biography."

"Oh. I supposed it'd screw things up if I read that."

"Yup." The Doctor said with a straight face. "Interesting things in there though. Shall we find her then?" He held out his hand.

"I..." She looked down at his hand. It was an offering that wasn't malicious, but she couldn't take it. "Sure, I'll help."

The Doctor dropped his hand and smiled. "Fantastic. You know, I've always wanted to pick your brain."

"Mine, why?"

"Time travel? At fourteen. Time travel's sort of my thing. It'd be nice to talk to someone who...sort of gets it."

"Sort of?"

"There are some things a human couldn't get, but you know quite a bit."

"So you're not human."

"You say that like it doesn't bother you. Most people freak out a little bit."

"It is statistically likely that there are other forms of sentient life out there. Plus if you have restorative abilities similar to that of a jellyfish then you're obviously not human...or at least, not fully human."

The Doctor hummed. "You're looking at everything wrong, but it's a sound analysis, I suppose."

"How am I getting it wrong?" Gene asked.

"I've been doing this a long time, traveling. Sure, the math the science, it's all interesting. But the things that aren't quantifiable are far more valuable."

"I've never understood those things." Gene shook her head. "One of my many failings."

"Admitting you failed is a good starting point, now try to see beyond what makes things tick and just stand in awe of the clock, trust me. It's better." The Doctor paused at a door. "Rose? Are you in there?" He stepped inside and grinned. "Ay, ay. What do you think, then?"

"Great. Yeah, fine."

Gene wasn't an expert on people, but she didn't look like she was fine.

"Once you get past the slightly psychic paper. They're just so...alien. The aliens are so _alien._ You look at 'em and they're _ALIEN."_ Rose exclaimed.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South." The Doctor snorted.

Rose turned on him. "Where are you from?"

The Doctor shrugged. "All over the place."

Rose didn't seem to like that answer, but she pressed onward. "They all speak English."

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS, the telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates."

Gene paused as the two continued to argue. If the TARDIS had a telepathic field, did that mean that the machine wasn't entirely a machine. Was it a thing? Like a sentient being? Was the TARDIS alive? If it was, how much energy must it have to link two dimensions and travel through time and space and...

"Tell me who you are!" Rose's voice was raised.

Gene flinched and looked at the two of them.

"This is who I am, right here, right now, alright? All that counts is here and now, and this is me."

'He's running from something.' Gene thought to herself. 'What is he running from?' She had to admit, that if she were running for something, a time machine would be the best way to get away.

"Yeah, and I'm here too, because you brought me here. So just tell me." Rose insisted, then turned to Gene. "Aren't you upset?"

"Um, no. Not really. More mentally overloaded than anything."

Rose shook her head. "Yeah, that's what I asked." She closed her eyes. "Alright, as my mate Shareen says: don't argue with the designated driver." She pulled her phone free. "Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal."

"I'd imagine not." Gene frowned, looking out at the Earth. Somehow, behind her, Rose was able to call her mother. She turned and looked at the Doctor. "How did you do that, with the phone?"

He was slipping an object back into his pocket. "Got to have some room for mystery, right?"

"I like clarity." Gene shook her head.

"You won't be getting any from me." The Doctor smirked.

"What does that mean?" Gene demanded.

He looked so damn proud of himself that it was almost irritating. "Because the answers you think you need aren't the ones you're really searching for." He poked her on the nose.

"What does that even mean?"

Rose finished her call and looked a bit stricken.

"Think that's amazing, you wait to see the bill." The Doctor grinned.

"That was five billion years ago. So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead." Rose sounded shaken up.

"Bundle of laughs, you lot are." The Doctor frowned.

Everything began to shake. "I'm guessing that isn't normal?" Gene asked when she regained her balance.

"That's not supposed to happen." The Doctor agreed.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"Bye-bye, darlings. Bye-bye, my darlings." Cassandra said before she vanished.

"Lovely woman." Gene frowned. She wasn't good with people, but she knew a cold person when she saw one.

"Heat levels rising."

"Reset the computer." Moxx demanded.

"Only the Steward would know how." The woman tree spoke.

Gene liked her, but thought she was wrong. "Wouldn't there be an override of some kind? I mean even in the future there would have to be backups to technology, right?"

The Doctor nodded. "I'd have to agree with Gene. There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, Gene, come with me. You lot, just chill."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The room was sweltering hot. Gene reached to her wrist and pulled her hair tie off of it. She threw her hair up and unzipped her hoodie and took it off, tying it around her waist.

"Heat levels critical."

"You don't say." Gene scoffed.

"It's a lovely necklace." Jabe commented.

"Thanks." Gene touched it and tucked it under her tank top.

"Personal then, I'm sorry."

"Just one of those unsolvable mysteries." Gene shrugged. She caught the Doctor glancing at her curiously before he started working on opening the door.

"And I'm sorry, for insinuating that you or Rose were married to him. That was awful forward of me." Jabe said.

"I forgive you?" Gene asked. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. She hadn't taken offense to it. People made leaps, sometimes they were right, sometimes they were wrong, it wasn't a bad thing, it was just what people did.

"Thanks." Jabe shook her head. The door opened and all three of them froze. The huge fans were spinning too fast.

"That is a really shitty design." Gene frowned. "I can think of millions of better designs."

"Big lever." The Doctor pointed out. He walked up to it and pulled on it. The fans slowed and the heat grew. As soon as he let go the fans kicked up faster.

"Jabe, you need to leave." Gene said. Statistically speaking, a human would last longer than a person made of wood. Still, Gene didn't like her own odds.

"Leave?" She asked.

"It's too hot in here," the Doctor agreed. "You're made of wood. We can do this." He turned to Gene. "You hold down the lever, I'll go get the switch."

"Those blades still move really fast, even when they're slowed down. Do I need to run the statistics of your likelihood of making it? Because I can tell you in plain words that they're really, really small."

"You've forgotten something to factor in: I'm the Doctor." He smiled cheekily.

Jabe nodded. "You two be careful." She nodded and rushed out of the room.

"External temperature five thousand degrees."

Gene didn't like that number. The heat that was going to flood this place was going to be horrific, but she knew she'd last longer than Jabe. She untied her sweatshirt and covered the lever with it, to protect her hands as much as possible.

"It's not going to be pleasant in here, Gene." The Doctor warned.

"Then stop wasting time. For God's sake I thought you were a Time Lord or something like that."

"How do you know what I...?" The Doctor shook himself.

"Go." Gene nodded and pulled down the lever. "Best of luck." Watching the Doctor step through the fans one at a time. How was he doing it? She wasn't sure. It was extraordinary though. And hot. Too hot. Her sweater was smoking and Gene's hands felt like they were burning. Once the Doctor made it back through the fans she let the lever go immediately. "Ow." There was a hole burned through her sweater. She looked at her hands and found blisters. Better her having blisters than Jabe being dead.

"Gene?" The Doctor rushed toward her. "Are you alright?"

"Just blisters." Her hands shook.

"We'll have them looked after in the TARDIS." He looked at her seriously. "You okay? You with me?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just...hurts."

"I know, but you have to stay alert. No going into shock, okay?"

Gene nodded. "I'm okay."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Walk with me." He lead her out. "How did you know I was a Time Lord?"

"You told me."

"I did _not."_

"Um, future you did. I didn't see you for long, you sort of dumped me where you found me shortly after we met."

"But I told you what I am?" He asked.

"Yes. Why does it matter?"

"Well, it matters to me, and I'm trying to distract you from the obvious pain you're in, so, two birds one stone."

Gene's focus was less on her hands, that was nice. "Thank you."

"Pain isn't fun." The Doctor said. They walked into the room. Thankfully, Jabe was there.

"You made it." Jabe smiled kindly.

"You alright?" Rose asked, rushing toward the Doctor.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, bristling with them." His voice was harsh.

That's when Gene noticed. The number of people they'd left behind wasn't the same as the number they'd come back to.

"Idea number one," the Doctor continued. "Teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He smashed open the ostrich egg that Cassandra had brought as an artifact of Earth. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." With a little fiddling around, Cassandra was back.

"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces." The 'human' Cassandra suddenly seemed to realize who she was. "Oh."

"The _last_ human." The Doctor mocked.

"So, you've passed my little test. Bravo! This makes you...eligible to join, uh, the Human Club."

"People have _died,_ Cassandra. _You_ murdered them." The Doctor glared at Cassandra.

"It depends on your definition of 'people,' and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries." Her skin was making a strange noise. "Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and flutter-"

"And creak?" The Doctor stated.

"And what?"

"Creak. You are creaking." The Doctor might've been smiling a bit.

"What? Ah! I'm drying out. Oh sweet heavens. _Moisturize_ me! Where are my surgeons? It's too hot!"

 _"You_ raised the temperature."

"Have pity!"

Gene's head hurt. She closed her eyes as Cassandra pleaded.

"I'm sorry! I'll do anything!"

 _'Don't. Please. Have pity. I'll do what you ask. I'll do anything, just stop. I'm sorry_.' Gene's head ached as the words echoed in her mind. Strangely, they weren't in Cassandra's voice. As soon as it arrived, the headache faded. She was used to the headaches, though, usually they were more painful. Maybe it was just a shock thing.

"Help her." Rose pleaded.

The Doctor didn't move. "Everything has its time and everything dies."

"I'm too young!" Cassandra protested before she imploded.

"Gene, are you alright?" Ianto asked. He'd walked forward and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Just had a headache for a moment."

"And your hands." Ianto mentioned.

"Ah! Yes, the hands. You need to go to the medbay." The Doctor commented. "TARDIS is that way. Rose and I'll make sure everyone gets off the ship."

"I'll open the door for you." Ianto said. He walked with her.

"Why are you with me?" Gene asked.

"Well, sir-the Face of Boe-wanted to make sure you got to the TARDIS."

"Why?"

"You don't know it yet, Gene, but you and I are friends."

"I've never had a friend, well, not really."

"You will soon, a few of them." Ianto walked her up to the TARDIS. "I'll open the door for you. I shouldn't go in. The Doctor get's fussy about who gets on his ship when he's not looking. I wouldn't want to get caught again. That last time was a bit... _awkward."_ The older gentleman blushed. "Go on in and...don't tell the Doctor I know much about the TARDIS. He um, doesn't know me yet. But, if you walk in, and go down the stairs, there should be the medbay, straight in. If you can't find it, just ask the TARDIS."

"Ask it?"

"She's good at moving rooms around if you need them to move."

"She?" Gene asked.

"I've said too much. I always do that. Please, just go get your hands looked after." Ianto opened his mouth, then closed it. "Until next time, love." He leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek. He pulled back, then rolled his eyes. "Fine." He kissed her other cheek as well. "The Face of Boe sends his love as well. Take care." He grinned and walked away.

"My life is a _mess."_ She frowned and walked into the TARDIS. The doors closed behind her. She walked down the stairs and the doors on her right opened. "Whoa..." She walked inside and held out her hands. A medbay would be no good if she couldn't fix her own hands. Something floated through the air, like a cloud, and hovered over her hands. "What is that?" The pain eased away from her hands and when the thing in the cloud floated away. Her hands were perfect again. "Whoa. How does _that_ work?"

She heard voices above her and she headed up the stairs, back to the console. The Doctor and Rose were there.

"Ah, Gene, did you find the medbay?"

She nodded and held up her hands.

"TARDIS fixed you up, perfect." The Doctor nodded. He flipped a few switches and the TARDIS mad the familiar noise of traveling. "Come on." He led Rose and Gene out into the streets of London.

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't." The Doctor said, walking through the crowded London street. "One day it's all gone, even the sky." He said to Gene and Rose. "My planet's gone. It's dead."

Gene's brow furrowed. The first Doctor she'd met hadn't said that his planet was gone.

"It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust...before its time."

Gene never knew what to say in these moments, when people were upset.

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"There was a war, and we lost."

"A war with who? What about your people?"

Gene wished she had even a touch of that. She couldn't understand how to comfort people like that.

"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor." The Doctor explained. "I'm left travelling on my own 'cause there's no one else."

"There's me...and-and Gene." Rose pointed to her.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home? Either of you?"

Gene silently weighed the pros and cons. "I'm alright." Gene shrugged.

"I don't know. I want-Oh! Can you smell chips?"

"I smell fries?" Gene suggested.

"They're called chips." Rose corrected. "And I want chips."

"Me too."

"As long as it's food, I suppose." Gene shrugged.

"It's settled. Before you get me back in that box, chips it is. And you can pay." Rose said playfully to the Doctor.

"No money."

"What sort of date are you?" Rose scoffed. "Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years 'til the shops close."

Gene followed behind them. This wasn't abnormal. As per usual, she was falling behind the others. There was just something so intangible about human interaction. Then again...she'd somehow done well with Ianto. Maybe she could do this. She took a deep breath and tried to catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should mention, this isn't going to be super Rose friendly.  
> Also, I saved Jabe. Why? Because she's a lovely tree lady who didn't deserve to die.  
> Much Love.


	4. A Room on the TARDIS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The TARDIS is really big and Gene may be a little overwhelmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, like these characters, cannot sleep...soooo lots of chapters. I hope you guys are enjoying this.

"Go on up the stairs. The TARDIS'll show you to your rooms." The Doctor explained with a wave of his hand.

"Awesome." Rose said. "I'm exhausted."

Gene nodded and followed Rose up the stairs. The younger (older?) blonde walked forward and Gene tried to keep up.

"So, what's your thing?" Rose asked.

"What do you mean?" Gene's nose wrinkled in confusion.

"I dunno, you're just weird."

"Thanks?" Gene asked.

"It's just, you sort of just seem...distant."

"Not untrue." Gene muttered. There was a short silence.

"Right, you're...talkative." Rose commented. "Oh, look, this door has my name on it. I'm gonna go check it out. See ya?"

"Yeah, see you later." Gene commented.

Rose looked strangely at her, then went into her room.

"Great job, Gene, real fantastic." Gene grumbled to herself. She folded her arms over her chest, trying to become smaller than she already was. The hallways were long, but none of the doors had her name on them. She started counting the support beams along the edges of the walls. They were metallic pretty, with circular holes in each one. She kept walking though, until the hallway dead ended. "Okay, TARDIS, if you're there. I'm looking for my room. Someone said you could...sort of hear me. I feel a little crazy right now, so I really hope it's true."

She turned around and froze. The support beams, all seventy-eight, were gone. "Okay...weird." She started walking forward and saw stairs at the end of the curved hall, and what looked like the console further in. She had walked fifteen minutes and twenty seconds, how was she back within sight of the console? She'd walked down a straight hall before and now it was curved. What was this place? She turned and looked at the doors. There were two of them. One had a nameplate with ornate circular script on it, and across the hall, there was a door that said Gene M. Cooper on it.

"Thank you?" Gene looked up at the ceiling.

The TARDIS made a humming noise, as if responding to her.

"That's weird, or I'm going insane." She shook herself and opened the door. Inside was the most beautiful room she'd ever seen. Two of the walls were made of glass and somehow showing her a sunset over an ocean view and a long, clean beach. The large windows even had sliding doors that opened out right to a beach, but that couldn't be possible. Right? Though...the Doctor had said the ship was infinite. Could it have changed its insides based on what she liked? It was apparently a telepathic ship. The very idea made her head dizzy. This ship was...too much. Sure, on Earth she lived in an apartment on the beach, a place most would kill for, but this view was something else.

She looked from the ocean views to the rest of the room. The remaining walls were tan, the ceiling was a creamy white. The bedding was grey and green and looked so soft. All of the furniture looked simple, modern. A vase sat empty on the side table. There were pictures of flowers on the wall, exotic ones she'd never seen before. There was an elegant music stand near a bookshelf full of books on physics, engineering, calculus, and lots of sheet music. "Wow. Thanks." She walked up to the wardrobe and opened it. Inside there were pajamas and dresses and flats that all looked to be her size. She looked down at her own preference of comfortable jeans and a tank, but took the pajamas and changed into them. If the place could put an ocean outside her windows, there had to be a bigger wardrobe somewhere...one with pants and t-shirts and sweaters. She looked around and finding a violin case leaning against a desk next to the bookshelf. She was drawn to it and opened the case on her bed.

It wasn't her violin, but it was a beautiful instrument, nonetheless. She picked it up checked the tuning by ear, and began to play.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor frowned at his screen, reading the inscription on the gravestone, the screen had a picture of.

**Gene Miriam Cooper**

Beloved sister.

October 15, 2001 - March 28, 2025

"Everything remains exactly as it was."

The Doctor looked down. Gene was twenty-two years old. A little over two years from the day he'd picked her up, she'd be a permanent resident in a graveyard. He looked at the biography her sister had co-written about her. The young, talented scientist, mathematician, and musician, struck dead by a hit and run. It was no proper end for the awkward girl the Doctor had just met. Perhaps he could help her see the beauty in the universe before she was lost. He didn't have much time to brighten her life, but he'd have to make some time.

Music, breathtaking music, filled the TARDIS.

The Doctor walked up the stairs, toward the sound. The slow, sad music was beautifully paced, not held back by a specific beat, but ebbing and flowing. The musician was playing with the song, adding her soul to it. He paused for a moment when he saw the curious placement of Gene's room, across from his own, but he shrugged and knocked on the door. The music stopped.

"Come in?"

The Doctor opened the door and leaned against the door frame. "Don't mind me, just listening."

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all. It's lovely. I'm all ears."

Gene snorted. "Sorry." She apologized, then turned her head, her locket jingling at the movement. She rested lovingly against the violin. She closed her eyes and began to play again.

He watched her. Her face changed with the music, so many emotions were conveyed on her face. He noticed her swaying slightly and for the first time since he'd met her she looked whole, fully present. There was so much genius in her, but for the first time he could see life as well. He closed his eyes and just listened until the very end of a sustained final note. "You're very good at that."

"Thank you. Music seems to be the one normal thing I understand." She frowned and lowered the violin.

"That's not true. I saw your face. You understand pain, fear, sorrow...emotions. You're just not great at...expressing."

"Maybe." Gene nodded. "I'm not a nuisance here am I? It's just, I've seen people look at me weird my whole life and... I just..."

"Feel like you're the one puzzle piece that doesn't fit?"

"An apt description." She agreed.

"Maybe you just don't belong in the box you found yourself in. Sometimes we have to go find our puzzles. Not all pieces fit into all puzzles."

She laughed. It was a warm, nice laugh.

"I'm weird too, you might just fit in around here." The Doctor grinned. He knew that look in her eyes. She looked like someone soldiering on, pretending to be alright while broken pieces inside screamed for any sort of care. He wanted to help...the clock was ticking though. Sure, he could make up a lot of time between 2023 and 2025, because who said she actually was twenty-four when she died? Perhaps she'd spent some time traveling with him, perhaps she was older than what her tombstone said. She had met an older version of himself, after all. Maybe he could and was helping her.

"I'll try. I've just always been afraid of getting close to people."

"Why?"

"I don't know. My childhood psychologist thinks it's something to do with those I've lost but...I don't know. It feels like more. Who knows in the end?"

"One of those mysteries."

Gene fiddled with the locket at her neck. "Yes, another mystery." She shook herself. "Sorry, I should probably let you go to sleep. It's been a long day."

The Doctor nodded.

"Thank you, for letting me come along."

"Well, some version of me promised, gotta keep my promises, right?" He grinned.

She laughed. "My life has become absurd."

"Could be a good thing."

"Time will tell." She nodded. "And is that really water? It smells and looks like the ocean."

"Probably is. The TARDIS loves to make people comfortable."

"This ship alone is a marvel. It all is."

"Don't try to figure it out...just enjoy it." The Doctor suggested. "Goodnight, Gene."

"Goodnight, Doctor."

"And anytime you want to play, day or night, go ahead, I don't sleep much."

"Me neither. But, hey, solve a question for me. How do you tell when it's day or night in space? I mean it's really an arbitrary correlation with sunlight on Earth, so, what's day and night in space? We could be in multiple places at different times, so how can you ever really tell which is which?"

The Doctor laughed. "Goodnight, Gene."

He stepped out of her room and closed the door. He hesitantly walked to his room, usually he avoided sleeping, but he'd gone too long. He needed to sleep and he hoped he wouldn't find his dreams full of terrors tonight, but...he rarely had that blessing. He changed out of his regular clothes and then climbed onto his bed. The grey and blue covers were warm and soft.

He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene put the violin in its case and looked to her bookshelf. "What's this?" She pulled a thick, leather bound book from the bottom shelf and opened it. "Poetry?" She frowned. She wasn't a fan of poetry, not really. The deeper meanings seemed to go over her head and all she could end up focusing on was the meter. Still, she opened it up and tried to read the first poem the book opened to. "Death Is Nothing At All..." She read the title and silently read the body of the poem. "Harry Scott-Holland, I have absolutely no clue what you mean." But one line had struck a cord. She put the book down on the shelf again.

She didn't want to go to bed. So many of Earth's genii were talked about as if they rarely ever slept. She wondered if the questions of the universe kept them up. Gene too, didn't sleep much, but it wasn't always the wonders of the unknown that kept her awake. More often than not, it was fear that kept her awake. Nevertheless, she got into bed. The last thing she wanted was to keep her new neighbor awake with her insomniac violin playing, her neighbors in Santa Monica had only just began to accept it and she'd lived there for years. Though, her downstairs neighbor admitted to absolutely adoring the violin music, because she was an insomniac who painted and the music helped her.

Gene and Emily's neighbor on her right wasn't as happy with it, but Emily made them cookies often enough to keep them from getting too upset.

Gene frowned and climbed into the bed. It was perfect, comfortable. She settled in and tried to fall asleep.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

_Running._

_She was running. And in pain. So much pain. She had something in her arms, pressed tightly to her chest as she ran. The metal was cold. She ran._

_There was an elevator shaft ahead of her, no elevator. She ran to it and called it. It was above her, coming down. "Come on, come on."_

_Footsteps were coming around the corner behind her._

_She looked over her shoulder and saw him. Something hit her in the chest. There was pain, more pain. She looked down and saw the wound bleed._

_"You'll never get away." The voice stated._

_The elevator was too late and there was only one way out._

_She fell backwards, knowing that she'd be dead before she even hit the ground, judging by the blood pouring from her._

_She was falling. Falling._

_How tall was this building?_

_Falling._

-DWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene screamed and sat up. Falling. It was always falling. And stupid elevators. She turned and saw it then, the doors out to the ocean were open. She got up and grabbed the violin from the case. Then she stepped out of her room her bare feet met sand. "Huh...it's _real."_ She slid her door closed and walked out toward the moonlight water. She smiled and shook her head in awe as waves lapped over her feet. She lifted her violin and did what she always did when dreams got in the way of sleep...she played.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor woke up, sweating again. He'd counted them again. Every last soul lost in the Time War, every last one he'd hurt. His head hurt and his soul felt heavy. Once his breathing slowed, he heard it. Music just loud enough for him to hear. The soft violin music was soothing, wonderful. This music wasn't sad. It was...not unlike a lullaby.

The Doctor listened to it and soon found himself asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, the poem Gene reads is the poem that's quoted on her tombstone that the Doctor looks at.  
> Much Love.


	5. The Boy in the Dressing Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gene meets someone who seems to know her, but she's never met him before. Why does this keep happening?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, insomnia. Updates. Lots of em.  
> Have I mentioned I'm not a Rose fan? That may be reflected in this, sorry if you like her.  
> Also, I imagine the young boy in this looking a bit like a slightly younger Tom Holland.

Gene left her room after pulling up her hair. She walked slowly toward the console room and found the Doctor and Rose, chatting.

"You sleep alright? You're up late." Rose commented.

"Um, yeah, I slept fine." She said. It was a lie. She slept for a short time, but she was up quickly enough. It was a great night of sleep compared to most of her nights.

The Doctor looked at her, as if he didn't buy it. "But the violin music. Wasn't that you?"

"Did I wake you up?"

"Am I interrupting somethin'?" Rose asked, sounding a little defensive.

"No. I just...I'm an insomniac. When I can't sleep, I play the violin. I didn't mean to wake you up. It just calms me down."

"I woke up in the middle of the night, or else I wouldn't have heard you." The Doctor shrugged. "Don't feel like you're putting anyone out. Did it wake you, Rose?"

"Didn't hear nothin'." Rose shook her head.

"See, cope however you need, it's a big ship." The Doctor promised.

"Thank you." Gene smiled shyly.

"Right, so what're we gonna do today?" Rose asked, stepping close to the Doctor and looping his arm with hers.

It was a strange gesture that Gene didn't understand. "How do you even begin to decide such a thing, given all the infinite possibilities?"

"I have an idea!" The Doctor rushed to the console, pulling free from Rose as he went. The TARDIS shook shortly after he began to push buttons and pull levers. Gene stumbled into the railing.

Rose fell against the console.

"Pull that one down," The Doctor ordered.

"Got it!" Rose pulled it down.

The TARDIS shook again.

"Hold that one down!" He pointed to another one across the console.

"I'm holding this one down."

"Well, hold them both down." The Doctor insisted.

"No need to fight." Gene rushed forward, pulled the second lever down. The TARDIS still shook. She reached out for a dial and her hand met the Doctor's over the dial. "Sorry," she pulled her hand back.

He turned it, looking at Gene confusedly. "I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now, you've seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?"

"What happened in 1860?" Rose asked.

"Well, it's the year before the Civil War broke out so, probably quite a bit of turmoil, but I didn't study that era much."

"Civil War?" Rose asked.

"Oh, yeah...I'm the only American on board. Sorry, you're not actually British either, you're alien, technically. Wow, what a diverse crew we are."

"Blonde, brunette, and a ginger." Rose added.

"Don't rub it in." The Doctor frowned. "Alright, let's find out what happened in 1860. Here we go!" A few more switches and the TARDIS shook, harder.

Gene searched for anything that might steady the ship. The console looked like pure chaos, but there seemed to be an order to it, logic. She saw the way the Doctor's hands moved and there had to be a pattern. 'There! That one!" Gene thought, reached out, and grabbed a wheel, turning it. The shaking stopped and they arrived.

"How did you do that?" The Doctor asked, grabbing her shoulder.

"I...don't know. I just did it."

"Wha's that mean?" Rose wondered.

"You've been on the TARDIS before though, right?" The Doctor demanded.

"Yeah." Gene nodded. She'd never driven it before, though. "It's organized chaos, but there's a rhythm and logic."

"There is." The Doctor agreed. "You're a quick study."

"I've been told that a few times." Gene folded her arms over her chest and shrunk a little.

"Alright, we did it. Earth, Naples, December twenty-fourth, 1860."

"Weird, it's Christmas." Rose smiled. She headed for the doors.

"Where do you think you're going?" The Doctor demanded.

"1860." Rose said.

Even Gene could hear the 'duh' behind her words.

"Go out dressed like that, you'll start a riot. There's a wardrobe through there." He pointed deeper into the TARDIS. "First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left." He explained. "Hurry up, both of you!"

Rose ran off, looking excited.

"So like...dresses?"

"If you don't want to give the people out there a heart attack, yes, dresses." The Doctor nodded. "Go on."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

By the time Gene made it to the wardrobe, Rose was going through dresses on a rack that was labeled 1860, Europe. The rack was astoundingly long. Gene couldn't see the end of it. It did stand to reason that a time and space traveler would need the appropriate attire. The wardrobe on this ship alone must've been massive.

"Isn't this one darling?!" Rose beamed, spinning around a red and black dress. "Perfect for Christmas, right?"

"Um, it is nice."

"Not a dress person?"

"Never felt comfortable in them." Gene shrugged. She walked up to the rack. Dresses didn't usually fit her body style well.

"Yeah. How tall are you anyway?"

"Five foot one inch." She answered. But that'd never really been her problem. Sure, most people were half a foot or a whole foot taller than her, but it wasn't just her height that made her feel awkward in dresses. These dresses weren't exactly going to be flattering, not with the way they flattened her already small frame.

"Right, and you're bit skinny up top. Just saying." She shrugged with a small smile.

"Yeah." Gene nodded. Her sister had called her 'bee-sting' when they were younger. Emily had bought her a dress for Christmas last year, but Gene had never worn it, she just didn't like the way she ended up looking in dresses.

"I'm gonna go try this one on, it looks like it's my size." She grinned and rushed off.

Wasn't it a normal thing for girls to like going through clothes together? Gene had liked going shopping with her sister, even though her sister was far better at knowing what clothes were right and what ones weren't. She really should have moved faster. Maybe then she might have been able to do the 'girly bonding' her sister talked about. Though, her sister wasn't exactly girly, in spite of her modeling profession's stereotypes.

"What should I wear?" Gene wondered. She reached into the rack and looked through the dresses. None of them seemed right, but then again she'd never really learned what dresses were right for her. She frowned when she felt paper. She pulled on it and found it was a sticky note.

Not this one.

She frowned. "Hello? Anyone here?" There were no sounds, no people around. She slid the next dress over. The pretty green fabric was beautiful, but there was another sticky note on it.

Nope. Try again, sweetie.

"Who's there?" She asked, but no one answered her.

She slid the next dress over and paused. Another sticky note.

Gene, really, step through the rack. I've got something better for you.

"Doctor?" Gene called. "Is that you?" She looked down at the note. It was male handwriting, though on the neater side. She shook her head and parted the dresses, stepping through them. There was a dress form wearing a dark blue dress. The sleeves were sheer and off the shoulder. There was golden embroidery over the skirt in nonsensical shapes. On the ruffled bust of the dress there was a note.

This one.

"Who left these notes?"

"It was me."

Gene just about jumped out of her skin. She turned and saw a young man. His hair was wavy, a light brown color. His eyes were also brown, his accent was American. "Who are you?"

"Um. You wouldn't believe me if I told you I worked here, would you?" He didn't sound like he was trying to convince her, more like he already knew he couldn't come up with a lie to convince her with.

"I'd think the Doctor would mention if there were other people on board." Gene commented.

"Rational. True enough, it _was_ worth a shot." The young man shrugged. He looked a little younger than her, but he dressed well. He wore nice pants, a button-up top with a sweater over it, and...his left sleeve was bulging slightly, as if he had something under it. He was in shape and his clothes looked tailored to him.

"I'm not the only American on the ship? That's a bit of a relief..."

"Well... Yeah, we'll go with American." He shrugged. "As to who I am... Let's just say, I have an interest in you."

Gene's face pinched.

"Oh, God! No, not like _that...just_ a perfectly normal, non-sexual interest in- Like um, I am interested in you, but not... Oh God, everything I say comes out wrong. I just...you matter to me."

"I don't even know you."

The younger man flinched and looked down, he swallowed roughly and his jaw flexed. "Well, it's complicated. You always were though."

 _"Were?"_ Gene latched onto the tense. This man was speaking of her as if she didn't exist. Which meant she was dead, which was obvious, everyone dies. But it specifically meant that at his point in time she was dead along his timeline.

"I've said too much. You've got the 'thinking eyebrows' and..." He shook his head. "I'm always doing that." His eyes watered. "You just... I've always wanted to...to meet you."

How could he know her expressions but not have met her before? This man was puzzling.

"I've just always wanted to repay you for...everything." He reached forward and grabbed her arm.

Gene froze. The young man leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Somehow, it didn't feel invasive or wrong. Gene almost wanted to reach out and stop him from crying.

"That erm...that dress will fit perfect. It took me a while to find it, but it'll fit." He nodded and wiped his face. "Don't tell...um... Don't tell the Doctor I was here. He wouldn't understand, and the last thing I need is to be on his bad side, _again."_ He pulled up his left sleeve.

"I've seen a cuff like that before." The leather cuff, not unlike the one Ianto had worn, but it had a different design.

"Yeah. Not surprised." He reached out and touched her face. "I'm so glad I got to meet you."

"Can't you tell me your name?" Gene asked.

"Um...Peter. It's not my real name, but it's a nickname. My mum thought I looked like the kid who played Peter Parker, called me Peter or Peter Pan sometimes cuz I got into trouble a lot. You can call me that...if you ever see me again...not sure if that'll happen though." He shrugged. "Anyway, you um, get dressed and. Don't be afraid. Just go out there and live. Living is more important than just knowing, you know?"

"I don't understand."

"It's okay to not understand." The boy nicknamed Peter said. "I've got to go. Remember, don't tell the Doctor. Last thing I need is him coming after me, because then I'll have to explain it to him and to...someone else and my life would just become really difficult and I'd probably be in a lot of trouble." He tapped on the cuff. He looked up at her and opened his mouth. "Love you." He hit a button and he was gone.

Gene frowned. This young man was a mystery she needed to solve. She slipped the sticky notes into her pocket and got the dress off the dress form before she headed to her room. Sitting on her desk was a box that hadn't been there before. And...another sticky note. She put the dress on the bed and walked over to the desk.

Gene,

Found these in a lovely antique shop, thought they'd match the dress. Also, I left some shoes under your bed, no one will notice your feet in that dress. Trust me, never wear heels on your travels with the Doctor.

-Love you,

Peter

She frowned and picked up the last sticky note. She'd need a place to collect all of these things. All the backwards events that occurred in her life. Because in the matter of a few months she realized a good chunk of her life was happening out of order. She'd get a journal later, instead she put the sticky note in the poetry book. Then she went back to the box on her desk.

When she opened it, she found a set of jewelry. A simple gold chain with a sapphire on it. A pair of earrings that had two small sapphires and two small diamonds in them, and a long golden hair comb encrusted with sapphires.

That box had a lot of money in it if the contents were all real. Real or not, they were beautiful. "Who was that kid?" She shook her head. She didn't have time to figure it out. She started to get changed instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.


	6. The Unquiet Dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never leave your zombie apocalypse bag at home.

The Doctor leaned on the console and looked at his watch. Girls, they always took their time. There was the sound of something scuffing on metal and a fearful huff. The Doctor turned toward the stairs and his eyes widened. The woman at the top of the stairs was wearing a beautiful blue and gold dress. It was modest, but still beautiful and elegant. The auburn hair was pulled up in an elegant braided bun. She had black gloves on and she was trying to lift her skirt to walk down the stairs.

"Dear _God,_ how do women walk?"

The Doctor smiled at the endearing, flustered blush on her face. Then, he saw it, she was wearing a pair of Converse under the 1860's ballgown. "At least you aren't wearing heels. I suppose that would make it more difficult."

"Infinitely." Gene grumbled. "I'm afraid this thing will get caught on everything."

"Just a mo." The Doctor saw the problem. He walked up the stairs to her.

"A 'mo'? What is that standard of measurement?"

"Mo, a moment." The Doctor laughed and leaned forward. He lifted her skirt where it had caught on a bolt. Thankfully, it wasn't damaged. "There, you're free." He said, offering his arm to her.

She took it and lifted her skirt with her free hand. "Thank you. Walking in this thing is no joke. I don't know how people do it." She stared at the ground as she walked down the stairs.

The Doctor glanced at her again, seeing the way her comb glittered in her hair. "There you are, flat ground."

"Thank you. I was almost defeated by stairs." She laughed and let go of his arm. "I didn't overdo it, did I?"

"No, you look," beautiful, lovely, charming, adorable, cute... He said none of those. That would be weird, wouldn't it? He didn't know her that well and...she obviously wasn't very comfortable in the dress or with people. "just right. You'll fit right in." Why did his throat feel closed up? He hadn't felt like this talking to someone in a while.

"And you're not dressing for the times."

"I changed my jumper, and people don't usually judge men's fashion doesn't change all that much. Trousers and a coat, that'll be passible for most times." He shrugged.

"That's true. Logical even." She said, smoothing the skirt of the dress down. "So it's really 1860 out there?"

"Yup." The Doctor smiled.

"Here I am." Rose called.

Gene and the Doctor turned.

"Blimey!" He whistled when he saw the woman done up in red and black.

"Don't laugh." Rose said with a smile as she walked easily down the stairs.

"You look beautiful......considering." The Doctor complimented. How had that come out easy? Yet he hadn't said it to Gene. How had it gotten stuck in his throat when it was about Gene, but not Rose?

"Considering what?" Rose asked, looking a bit taken aback.

The honest answer was 'considering that Gene's in the same room' but the Doctor couldn't really say that, not in front of Gene...or Rose for that matter. "That you're human."

"I...think that's a compliment. I'll take it." Rose nodded.

The Doctor sighed in relief. It was dangerous water to tread, but he'd made it through. "Come on."

"No, you stay there. You've done this before." Rose made her way past the Doctor and Gene. "This one's mine." She insisted, heading for the door.

"Very assertive." Gene commented. "Not something I'm good at."

"To each their own. Come on, history's out there."

They followed Rose out into the snow. There were carolers singing and carriages moving down the brick roads. Gene stopped for a moment in the street and looked with wide eyes. "The buildings and structures and transportation. It's all..."

"Amazing, right?" The Doctor grinned. "Oh, look, newspaper." He went forward and bought one from a man with long white hair. He wrinkled his nose. He wanted to show them something new and special and avoid trouble. But now he was in Cardiff, which wasn't new or great. On top of it all he'd landed on the rift, again, which was trouble waiting to happen. "I got the flight a bit wrong."

"I don't care." Rose commented.

"It's not 1860, it's 1869."

"Don't care." Rose repeated.

"And it's not Naples."

"I don't care." Rose insisted.

"It's Cardiff."

Rose looked momentarily disappointed.

Gene's body language changed. "Cardiff?"

"Yeah, not too exciting then, but still the past." Rose commented.

"What's with you and Cardiff?" The Doctor wondered.

Gene blushed. "Um, this man he was... He was at the hospital with me and my sister. He was handsome-"

"Relevance?" The Doctor asked before he could stop himself.

"None, except I think he was flirting with me. He said that if I ever needed a place to stay while I was in Cardiff to give him a call."

"Oh, really?" Rose asked with a strange voice.

"I just don't understand it, because I don't know him."

"That's a guy's way to say he'd like to have you over for the night." Rose commented. "What planet are you from, girl?"

"People don't say things like that to me. But he was weird, he spoke kind of like we'd met before, but I didn't know him."

"And you said he was handsome?" The Doctor asked. He knew he shouldn't have said it, but it spilled out.

"Objectively, yes. I'm not good at those sorts of judgment though." Gene frowned. "Anyway, it seemed like there was something _special_ about Cardiff. I heard my older self say something about stopping for fuel there."

"Oh." The Doctor nodded. "Well, I'm sure that man won't be here, as we're a bit early, but you could stop off in Cardiff for fuel. Technically." The Doctor looked up when he heard a loud scream and then panic. "That's more like it!" He said, running for the theater.

It was difficult to push into the building when so many people were trying to run out of it, but the three managed it. The Doctor had to grab Rose's hand to pull her out of the way of a larger man who likely would have knocked her over. Inside the auditorium, something blue, and ghostly flew in the air. "Fantastic."

-DWDWDWDWDW-

Gene tried to follow the Doctor and Rose as they made it to the stage, but someone stepped on her dress and she tripped into the seats. It took her a moment to stand upright again. But she saw a pair of people grabbing a woman out of the seats, a woman that blue light was streaming from.

"What are you doing?" Gene shouted. "Knock it off." She called to the people, dragging the woman away. "Doctor, I'm on this!" She warned.

"Be careful!" She heard shouted back faintly at her as she followed after the two suspicious people.

She made it outside and caught sight of a hearse and they were loading the woman onto it. A woman who'd just been sitting in a theater watching a performance and they were loading her in a hearse. "Stop right there." Gene insisted, walking forward.

A familiar looking woman turned to look at her. "Oh, it's a tragedy, miss. Don't worry yourself. Me and the master will deal with it. The fact is,"

"The fact is, that you're talking way too much." Gene pushed her aside and pressed her hand to the neck of the old woman. "She's dead. What did you do?" She'd just been sitting upright in her chair, and now somehow, she was in the back of a hearse, and cold to boot. For a body to feel that cold it would take at least four hours, sure flesh would be cold quicker, but she was deeply cold. "That's ice cold, that doesn't just happen to people, so what did you do?"

"Miss-"

A hand came over Gene's mouth. She fought against it, throwing an elbow, but someone grabbed her tighter and pressed harder against her face. She considered screaming, but if she wasted her breath...there was something on the cloth. She needed to fight to get away before she risked needed a breath. She swung harder, kicked, and thrashed, but nothing worked. She cursed her small stature, not for the first time. With her last bit of breath, she screamed. Then she breathed. The world spun and she was falling.

-DWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene blinked her eyes open. Her head hurt a little, but she sat up. She was on some sort of table in a funeral home, judging by the coffins. She turned to her left and froze. There was someone in the coffin and glowing blue gas seemed to be flowing into him. "Okay, I must've hit my head hard this time."

Then, the man in the coffin sat up.

"Okay, time to enact a zombie plan of some sort." She looked around and found a heavy-looking candelabra. It wasn't a great zombie plan, but it's what she had. "Stay back." The man seemed slow enough, if she hit him over the head, he might fall. "Door first." She turned and tried to open the door, but it was locked. She yanked on it, but it didn't budge. "Oh, back when things weren't made as cheaply as possible. Dammit." She turned and slammed the base of the candelabra against the man. But he only stumbled a bit. "Lovely. You know, I left my panic bag at home, so...no anti-zombie weapons with me, I'm afraid." She turned and smacked the door a few times, trying to find where the lock latched on the other side so she knew what to try to break. She used the weighty base, but at her strength it would not budge...and it was two on one. "Let me out! _Please!_ Someone!" If no one came, then next best idea was to get out the window, but she wasn't sure her dress would let her fit. That would be a great story at her funeral. Gene Cooper: killed by a dress that wouldn't fit through a window.

No one was coming. She turned and smashed the woman over the head with the candelabra. The old, dead, woman fell over, but the man snatched her weapon away and tossed it to the floor.

"Back off!" Gene shouted, but the zombie was surprisingly strong and grabbed her, pulling her tight to his chest. She lifted her feet and kicked the thing, but he only stumbled a bit. "Oh let me go, asshole." A hand clamped down on her mouth.

Oh, and if that weren't another reason to hate touch. Now there was a dead body grabbing her and the cold and the smell. It was awful.

The door burst open.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to cut in." Gene felt the warm hands of the Doctor grip her and shove the zombie away.

She took in a deep breath and leaned against him. "Thanks."

"It's a prank. It must be." A strange, but oddly familiar man said. "We're under some mesmeric influence."

"No, we're not. The dead are walking." The Doctor turned and smiled at Gene. "Hello, you alright?"

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"Charles Dickens."

"Oh, I liked The Signal-Man, I'm not a big reader, but it was good."

"I liked it to." The Doctor grinned then turned away from her. "My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"

The two walking corpses pleaded for help, then they collapsed.

"Oh...I really have no clue what's going on." Gene frowned.

"You're not used to that are you?" The Doctor asked.

"No."

"This is where the fun begins, though, in the unknown." He nodded. "Come on." He pulled her with him, away from the scene.

Gene caught a strange look on Rose's face, but couldn't tell what it meant.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene sat back as the others spoke. She leaned against the wall by a plant as the Doctor rested against the mantle in front of her. Her shoulder still felt a bit cold from where the zombie touched her, but she was pretty sure that was all psychological. The woman in black and white walked toward them, holding out two cups of tea.

"Two sugars, sir, just how you like it." She said to the Doctor, then turned to Gene. "And I haven't the sort of cream you can have, Miss. I'm sorry."

"What?" Gene whispered. There was milk there, on the table. How had the woman known she was lactose intolerant? And how had she known to add sugar to the Doctor's? "Have we met?"

"No, Miss."

"It's just, I've seen someone just like you before..." Gene frowned. People looked similar all the time, it happened. But this woman really looked like the one who'd been with Ianto and Jack.

"...the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through." The Doctor was saying.

"What's the rift?"

"A week point in time and space. A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of all the ghost stories, most of the time." The Doctor explained.

The rift as fuel for time travel. It made more sense to Gene now, the way her older self had spoken about stopping in Cardiff for fuel. Or the fact that Ianto and Jack both seemed to know about this time travel thing and they too were from Cardiff. Maybe some of this puzzle would come together.

-DWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene sat outside the pantry, listening to Rose and Gwyneth talk. The dead were being reanimated, but the most interesting thing Gene had found so far in 1860, was the servant who knew a bit too much. It was astounding to Gene though, how easily Rose could talk to people.

"I like a nice smile..." Rose said, talking about men.

Gene couldn't pick out what she liked about people. Usually it was in the things that couldn't be quantified. She'd only ever liked one person before. He'd been in orchestra with her. He played the cello. She first liked the passion he'd played with. Then she liked his humor. It was only after her crush had formed that she realized he had lovely green eyes, nice dimples, and a good build...his hair had been lovely, a soft blonde. Of course, then he'd moved across the country. Gene just figured she was looking at other things than most people did. But, then again, she'd learned quickly that how a person looked and who they were, weren't the same thing. LA was a great place to learn not to judge by looks.

"Good smile, nice bum." Rose finished.

"Well! I have never heard the like." Gwyneth gasped.

Though, on second thought, there were some people she could look at and recognize external beauty in. The Doctor's blue eyes were beautiful...as were his brown eyes, come to think of it. Gene shook herself. She wasn't here to think about those things. She wanted to see what else Gwyneth knew.

"...with them again, one day, sitting with them in paradise." She sighed. "I shall be so blessed. They're waiting for me... And, maybe your dad's up there waiting for you too, Miss."

"Maybe... Um. Who told you he was dead?" Rose asked.

"Oh...I don't know. Must've been the Doctor."

Gene stepped around the corner. "He didn't tell you that. And I didn't tell you I couldn't have milk."

"Or that you dream of falling, always falling. And you long to know who your parents were, but won't look." She nodded to the locket around Gene's throat.

"How do you know that?" Gene folded her arms, guarding herself. The only person who knew she'd never opened the locket, the one clue she had about her birth parents, was her sister. And last Gene checked, Emily had never been to Cardiff, let alone in the 1800's.

"And you've both come such a long way. It's so loud. People rushing around half-naked, for shame. Metal boxes racing past and birds in the sky, made of metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. And you two, you've flown so far. Further than anyone. The things you've seen." She looked at Gene. "Before your eyes even opened to life, all you knew was terror."

"What?" Gene asked.

She tsked. "No wonder you keep people away. And you...you've seen the darkness, the big Bad Wolf." She jolted and took a step back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, both of you."

"It's alright." Rose said.

"I can't help it. Ever since I was a little girl, my mum said I had the sight. She told me to hide it." The poor woman looked terrified of herself.

"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" The Doctor asked from behind.

"All the time, sir. Every night, voices in my head." She turned to Gene. "Like the fears in your head, your nightmares get more real too, just like my sight."

Gene looked down.

"You grew up on top of the rift..." The Doctor said in realization. "You're part of it, you're the key."

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts."

"Well, that should help." The Doctor nodded. "You can show us what to do."

"What to do where, Sir?" Gwyneth asked.

He smiled. "We're going to have a seance."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Nothing went well after that. The Gelth came in force, tried to take over the world and Gwyneth had to die to stop it. Rose had gone straight to bed afterwards. Gene stood against the railing in the console room. The Doctor worked under the console. Silently.

"It wasn't your fault." Gene broke the silence after almost an hour.

"What?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm not great at this... Up until recently, the only contact I've really had with people has been my sister. But usually it helps when you sit down and rest." She pushed herself off the rail and held out her hand.

"You don't like being touched." The Doctor stated, pulling himself up.

"That's true, but I did offer. Touch isn't as scary if you know it's coming."

The Doctor frowned at her, but then took her hand.

She walked to the TARDIS doors and opened them. She sat down and patted the spot next to her. He made a soft sound and sat next to her, leaving almost a foot of space between them as they each leaned against their own side of the door frame. The looked out at space together. "You felt like you could save someone. You lost everything to the Time War, right?"

"Yes." The Doctor said after a long moment.

"So, when someone suffering like you asked for help, you wanted to do anything you could, to help them." Gene frowned. "You know, that's noble. And it made sense. If we could save the last of a species by giving up a few dead bodies...that's a fair trade in many books. You just wanted to help."

"A good woman is dead, now."

"You can't know when someone's lying to you. You couldn't know she'd be hurt or that they'd betray you. And there's no equation that could have told you what they'd do. Sometimes we're at the mercy of others, we have to hope they're kind. Sometimes they're not, sometimes they lie, but that doesn't make it your fault."

The Doctor swung his feet, then turned and look at Gene. "People've hurt you, Gene, haven't they?"

"I'm a freak, Doctor. As a child I was doing calculus. I didn't speak much until I was five and I used to scream when people touched me. I was lucky my adoptive parents loved me and cared for me even though I...I was always so scared. My dad used to play the piano with me, it's how he spoke to me, when I was too scared to talk. He'd play a song and I'd pick up my violin and play something back. And my sister, she and I fight sometimes, but she has always treated me like I was blood. But people are cruel. For most of my life, the things that I know, the problems I can solve...how good I am on the violin...it all... I hated it, because people hated it. But in the end, some chose kindness and some didn't. I couldn't control it, I could only...do what I do and try to be kind."

The Doctor nodded and looked outwards. He held his hand out. "You don't have to take it, but you can if you want."

Gene looked at the hand and back up at those, kind, haunted, wet, beautiful blue eyes. She looked down and took his hand. The warmth felt wonderful.

"I have this feeling that you haven't been told this often. But you look amazing tonight."

"Thank you."

"The dress suits you."

Gene blushed. "My sister's always wanting me to wear them. I never saw much of a point."

The Doctor made a noncommittal humming sound. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"The kindness you showed. I bet people have told you you're cold your whole life, but that's not true in the slightest, is it?"

"I hope not." Gene frowned. "So, I'm guessing you're an insomniac too?"

The Doctor laughed. "Good call. Yeah...I don't sleep much."

"When I can't sleep, I play the violin. It helps."

"Then I guess I'll listen for the violin." The Doctor smiled.

Gene stared out of the doors. "It's beautiful, all the stars."

"Mmhm. Rose got to pick the first two, where do you want to go, Gene?"

"I get to choose?"

"Yeah. You have a voice too, you know? Time to start using it." The Doctor squeezed her hand a little bit tighter.

Gene lifted her free hand and pointed to a star. "The red one, forty-eight degrees to the right and up from that nebula. Something, over there."

"Fantastic." They sat for a few more minutes in silence. "You should try to get some sleep. Adventure awaits." He got up and helped her stand, closing the doors. He let go of her hand and they walked towards their rooms. "Sleep well, Gene."

"Goodnight, Doctor." She nodded and went into her room.

The Doctor went into his own room and bent down. He slipped his shoes off, put his jacket on the back of his desk chair, and pulled off his jumper. Left in an undershirt, trousers, and socks, he considered the merits of trying to fall asleep or getting a shower. A knock on his door interrupted him. "Coming." He walked to his door and pulled it open. There Gene was again, still dressed in that beautiful blue ballgown. Her hair was down though, in soft, red waves. "You alright?"

"That thing bruised my shoulders pretty badly and..."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't reach the buttons."

"That all? Here, I'll help."

"Thank you." She slowly turned around and pulled her hair to the side. The top button was undone, but the Doctor could see it, bruises forming on her shoulder blades and upper arms where she'd been grabbed.

"Looks like it hurts."

"Had worse on the playground, but it makes bending a bitch. It wasn't easy getting it on to begin with."

The Doctor laughed and gently reached for the buttons. Undoing the next nine buttons, doing everything he could to keep his eyes from straying to the bare, pale, slightly freckled skin underneath. "There, all done."

"Thank you. Sorry for bothering you." She dropped her hair again, and it covered all her skin up again. She turned and her hands held her dress up.

"No problem. Goodnight, again."

She smiled and walked across the hall again.

The Doctor closed his door and shook himself. This wasn't normal. Sure, he saw people and the beauty in them, but this was different and he barely knew her. "Shower, then sleep." He decided.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene struggled to get out of the dress, but eventually got out. Surprisingly, she didn't hate the dress as much as she thought she would. She hadn't felt boyish wearing it, at the very least. She put it in her wardrobe and took off her shoes and socks. She went to the attached bathroom and cleaned off the day and the makeup before changing into pajamas. Her eyelids were heavy and she knew she could probably climb into bed and sleep...but she didn't want to test it just yet.

Instead, she grabbed her violin case and pulled the violin free. She wished her own was with her, but this one was very good...just not hers.

She lifted the bow after checking the tuning and played.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor finished his shower and climbed into bed, feeling wide awake, annoyingly so.

He tossed and turned, hoping any sort of rest or relaxation would come.

There was a sound, quiet, but warm. Soft violin began to play and it likely wasn't a lullaby, given it's quiet strength. It was likely a more uplifting song, but it sounded like it could be a lullaby. It wasn't a song the Doctor had ever heard before, and he'd heard quite a bit of music during his life. His muscles relaxed and his eyelids grew heavy. Then, he was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.


	7. Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The universe is supposed to be neat and orderly and easy to process, at least, that's what Gene always believed. In practice, though, the universe is very different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay, but here's another chapter. I wish I could pick out one violin piece that I really like for this chapter...but I can't, sorry. I tend to listen to a lot of Two Steps from Hell (suggested to me by a kind person in the comments when I last posted this story), Piano Guys and Lindsey Sterling when writing about music, if you're the sort who like to read and listen to music.

Gene stepped out of the TARDIS and felt...lighter. She jumped up and landed, after a longer time than normal, on the red sand. "Different gravity."

Rose stepped out and started jumping up and down, laughing at how high she could go.

Gene took another jump and began to count the seconds. She wanted to be able to compare the gravity of Earth to that of this new planet. Then she'd be able to tell the mass difference and calculate- A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her down. "What?" She looked at the Doctor.

"Stop counting, this is one of those times where you don't need math."

"But I'm curious." Gene protested.

"Then be curious and go see it, touch it, feel it...don't study it."

"But-"

"You've done enough studying for a lifetime, Gene. Try living it." He nudged her forward.

"Um...okay."

"Oh! There's a city ahead. Can we go over there?" Rose asked excitedly, still bouncing up and down.

"Of course. It's the city of Hezik. Keep in mind the people here are a bit...grey, and tall. They're used to visitors though, so they won't act weird with us."

"Awesome, race ya there." Rose took off.

"You're supposed to run, you know." The Doctor said to Gene.

"But, I-"

"Not taking no for an answer." He grabbed her hand. _"Run."_

Gene sighed and ran with him toward the distant town. She did some runs with her sister, but it was easier to run in this sand then along the beaches back home. She didn't even feel tired when as they neared, when normally she'd be bent over, watching her sister keep going while she needed a break. But this felt fine. Her lungs felt fine. She felt...younger, lighter, and it wasn't just the gravity. It was supposed to be a race, right? She let go of the Doctor's hand and sped up.

"Hey!"

"She said it was a race." Gene called back.

"You little..."

Gene didn't hear the rest, she had to catch up to Rose after all. She managed to catch up with Rose near the edge of the city, but the Doctor flew past them, smirking, to which Gene responded by flipping him off, a habit she'd gotten from her sister. When she and Rose caught up, the Doctor was leaning against the side of a building, arms over his chest casually.

"You're supposed to let the girls win." Rose said, shoving him playfully.

"What's the fun in that?" The Doctor laughed.

"I smell food. It smells amazing." Rose looped her arm with the Doctor's. "I bought you chips, pay a lady back?"

"Okie-dokie."

-DWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor was only a bit concerned, when Gene said she wanted another drink and she hadn't come back. She was a grown woman in a really peaceful city, surely she'd gone through worse walking the bustling streets of LA on her own. He knew growing up in that she had to have some wits and awareness. Still, she hadn't come back in a while. At least both of the girls seemed to appreciate the food and atmosphere of the city.

"They have a green ocean here. That's amazing. Innit?" Rose asked. "Is it safe to swim in?"

"Totally safe." The Doctor answered. "So long as you don't go too deep, but I suppose every ocean's like that." The Doctor nodded.

"Can we go down there? It'd be a nice walk in the waves."

"Yes, we just need to make sure Gene's not wandered off too far first." The Doctor pushed back from his table and stood up.

Rose got up quickly and closed the distance. "Isn't is safe here?"

"Yeah, but shouldn't let her wander too far, just in case."

"Right." Rose nodded.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene filled her cup at the lovely stall down the street, handing over a little more money than they asked for. Then she started to head back toward the square, where she'd had far too much food to eat. Then she paused. There was a dome building made of stained glass. She walked towards it, wondering what such a beautiful place would hold. When she stepped inside she felt like she was trapped somewhere between a farmer's market and an artist market. Foods, drinks, and produce of all kinds were on sale. Then there were stalls with artists, showing their creations. Not all of them were people from this planet. So many different people all selling things.

It reminded her of home. Oh...she missed her sister. She shook herself and walked forward, looking through the items. She was in awe of the collection. Some things she found familiar. She looked at the labels on them and realized that it was a universal market, in that all of the items were brought in from across the universe. "Cool."

Gene found a little place that was marked as a music shop, packed with many instruments and she touched the foreign shapes in awe. She wondered what they'd sound like, but had no clue as to how to play them.

"That's a mighty pretty instrument, but tell me, sir, how does it...make music?"

"That, I'm not sure. One of those human instruments. Someone traded it in with me for a flanistirix, but they didn't show me how it worked. I'm sorry."

Gene stood up straight and turned, looking at the two aliens speaking about an instrument. "I'm from Earth. Which instrument is it?"

"Ah, perhaps this young lady will know." The tall grey alien waved her forward. "The young man told me it was a cello."

Gene stepped around the corner and paused. She laughed. "That's not a cello, a cello is much larger." Gene whispered. The short blue man was holding the bow very wrong. "Oh, don't do that. You'll ruin the bow." She reached out and grabbed the bow so that the hair was no longer touching the alien's flesh.

"This instrument is called a bow?" The blue man wondered.

"No. May I?" She asked, holding her hand out for the violin.

"Yes, I would like to hear it." The blue man held out the violin.

"This instrument is called a violin. Using the bow, you can create sounds with it. I'll show you. I'm actually very good at this." She looked at the violin and froze. "Oh God."

"What? Is it damaged? I've kept it in the case."

"It's a Stradivarius. It's a very high quality violin and very well maintained." Gene nodded. "Give me a moment." She put it reverently under her chin and quickly tuned it. "Do you have the case? It might have rosin in it, to help the bow."

"Here." The grey man opened it up. "Is it one of these things?" He held up packets.

"No, those are extra strings, um, that velvet pouch there." She pointed and put the violin down gently. "So, this will tighten or loosen the bowstrings. You can't touch the hair or the oil from your skin will ruin them. So, you tighten it to right about here. You can tell by the curve of the wood when it's properly tightened. I like mine right here. Then you use the rosin to give the bow grip, without grip there would be no friction and no sound." She prepared her bow and put the rosin up. Then she lifted the violin. "It's like this."

She pulled the bow across the A string, it was her favorite, the first note she'd learned was the open A string.

"It is beautiful. Does it make more sounds?" The blue man asked.

"Lots more. Do you want to hear a song?"

"Yes!"

"Okay." Gene thought for a moment and considered which song to play. "Partita." She whispered to herself. It was a good solo. She raised her bow and began to play. She saw people stop out of the corner of her eye, but she pretended not to see them. She was only trying to help the people in front of her. This violin was fantastic. The tone of it...so mellow and lovely and warm. She finished the piece and nodded. "It's a very good instrument."

"And you play well." The grey man said.

"Thank you." She smiled shyly.

"But, that song was not yours. Play a song that is your heart. Only music of the heart is truly beautiful."

Gene had a feeling the translation wasn't fully there, but she understood what he meant by it. What was she? She could have picked any old Earth song and they wouldn't have known the difference... But this was a challenge. She could improv something...something that was her. When she lifted her bow, she felt something settle over her, something that felt...heavy. She let it crash over her like a wave and dictate how she played.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor paused in the middle of the street. He heard something. A violin? "That has to be Gene, this way." He tugged Rose by the hand towards the sound.

"What has to be?" Rose wondered.

"A violin. She's a prodigy."

"Of _course_ she is." Rose muttered.

The Doctor frowned. "What's that?"

"Nothin'. I just...she comes off weird."

"Yeah, she has social problems... But, I think this'll do her good, seeing the universe as something more than flat numbers on paper." The Doctor shrugged. "I sometimes need that, need to see the brilliance in the universe again. I just hope I'm in time."

"In time for what?" Rose asked.

The Doctor's jaw tightened. "Can't say. Come on, I think she's in here." He opened the door and pulled Rose inside. He heard a familiar song end and looked around. Everyone seemed to be looking toward a stall full of musical instruments. Gene was standing there, with a violin. She spoke to the two men with her, then frowned. Her whole body seemed to shrink, even though she was already so small. She raised her bow.

The Doctor stopped in his place when the music started, as did everyone else.

"It's so sad." Rose spoke and several people shushed her.

But it wasn't just sad. It was lonely and afraid. Then...the turn, a soft surge of hope, of warmth of...joy. The song ended with a drawn out, note full of longing and hope.

-DWDWDWDWDW-

Gene lowered her violin and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Now, that was beautiful." The blue man said. "Might a master of the craft, such as yourself, teach me?"

"Sure. I can give you a little lesson, but I can't stay for long. I...sort of have a flight."

"I'd be honored to have some of your time, even though I doubt I could learn as well as you play." The man nodded.

With gentle hands she helped to guide the man into the proper form. "Now, it takes practice to get the right movement, to make the strings sing. Before you worry about any finger positions, you have to make the strings sing, without scratching like a cat."

"What is a cat?"

"They're animals...from Earth. You'll find out what they sound like." Gene laughed. When she'd first played the awful sounds she produced haunted her family. "We'll work on open strings for now."

"Gene!"

"Doctor. I was just helping them figure out what sort of instrument the violin was."

"You've been crying. Are you alright?" He asked with concerned eyes.

She wiped her face again. "I'm fine. Just trying to do a quick lesson."

The Doctor reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she took a step back. He lowered his hand without looking offended. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She wasn't sure. She had no clue how she felt. It was all one big mess.

"We were going down to the ocean, wanted to make sure you hadn't wandered off." Rose stated.

"Good, you two can go on ahead. I'll meet you back at the TARDIS. I just...want to do this quick lesson."

The Doctor's posture softened. "Alright. We'll swing by soon and we'll all go back to the TARDIS, if you need us, we're by the water."

"Thank you."

"Alright, Rose, off we go."

"Beach time!" Rose cheered as they walked off.

Gene let out a breath. She didn't really have that much in the way of energy. She felt...tired. "Alright, so, open strings. This one is G, D, then A, and E. Do you have sheet music? With staffs? Bass and treble? Scales? I should ask that first, for all I know music is written differently here."

"I have seen such sheet music before." The man nodded.

"Oh good, I suppose there is one universal language. Alright, here we go. Crash course." Any lesson on the violin would have to be a crash course, just the basics. There was no way she could fit in all the ins and outs before she'd have to leave.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene pulled her shoes off and slipped them under her bed. It had been a good day, but a long day full of more emotions than she knew what to do with. Why couldn't it all be simpler? If emotions could fit into neat boxes or be quantified in some way it would just be...easier. A knock sounded on her door.

"Gene?"

She didn't feel like answering. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep, she could avoid the questions.

"I know you're awake. And don't ask how I know that, you're an insomniac, of course you're awake."

She snorted. She had to give him that one. "Door's open."

The door cracked open and the Doctor leaned against the door frame. "You alright?"

"Tired."

"Are you lying to me?"

"No. I really am exhausted." Gene said, pulling her feet up onto her bed.

The Doctor tilted his head back. "That might be the truth, but it isn't the whole truth."

"It's just been a lot. It's all so much."

"What part?"

"All of it. I've always worked in theory, you know? Infinity was a concept. Time travel is a theory that was untouchable even with it figured out on paper. Seeing everything in practice, it's just...so much." Gene said. "How do I explain it?"

"With words." He suggested, unhelpfully.

"I came from a world where I saw everything, I learned secrets that people thought were impossible. I was one of the most knowledgeable people there and now I feel like I was always blind and I've just opened my eyes for the first time and everything's so bright."

The Doctor frowned and nodded. "I get it."

"It's a lot, for me. I've always had everything in logical order, neat and easy to process. All of this is brilliant, but it's so much."

"Do you need a break?" He asked.

"I think so." Gene said after a moment.

"Alright." He looked down at the ground, then pushed away from the door frame. "Get some rest, I'll pop you back home in the morning." He looked so upset as he started to turn away.

"I want to come back. Is that okay?"

He slowly turned and put a smile on. "Of course."

"I-I just...need to process."

"You've got time, Gene."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He'd lied to her. She didn't have time, not a lot at least...but he could afford her a few weeks before coming back. If she needed time, then she could have it. Still, if he was going to give her more time to live, he couldn't stay away for too long. Leaving her alone for even two weeks would be letting her step closer to her death.

There was silence in the TARDIS.

He didn't fall asleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love.


	8. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gene thinks her life will be quiet for a moment.  
> The Doctor shows up a bit early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, I've had this written but I didn't think it was perfect. Eh, I'll roll with it.

Gene stepped off the TARDIS and walked towards the bushes where she left her groceries. She reached in and found her ingredients still cold. "Whoa."

"I'll be back in a little bit." The Doctor said.

"I'll see you then. Still be here." She nodded down the road to her apartment.

"Be careful out there."

Gene snorted and shook her head. "You be careful in there." She pulled her bag further up her shoulder. "I'll see you in a couple weeks?"

"Yes, ma'am." The Doctor smiled. "Oh, and I believe you have a performance or speech or something soon so, break a leg."

"Thanks." She started to head towards her apartment when the Doctor caught up with her and patted her shoulder.

"Here." He held out a key. "Just in case. You mentioned meeting me out of order, just in case you ever need it. I'm pretty sure I can trust you with it."

"Thank you."

"See you soon, Gene Cooper." He smiled and headed back for the TARDIS.

Gene rushed home and opened her door. She couldn't remember what she was going to make for dinner, only that she promised to make it for her sister. She pulled the ingredients out and easily figured out what recipe she could make of them. Her head hurt a little bit, but she rubbed her temples and got to work.

The front door opened and closed. "Gene, whatever you're making smells amazing." Emily called. "God, I'm so hungry."

"Em?" Gene stepped around the corner. "Emily!" She rushed forward and wrapped her sister up in a warm hug.

"Oof. Um...hi?" Emily wrapped her arms around her. "Are you alright?"

"I haven't seen you in forever."

"We saw each other this morning, moron. Are you feeling alright?" She pulled back and put her hand to Gene's head. "You don't feel hot."

"Oh...um... I meant metaphorically. I just... Maybe I'm not well, I do have a bit of a headache." It was wrong of Gene to say that, and she knew it. Given her history with migraines, her sister would obviously be upset if she mentioned she had a headache. But Gene couldn't just come out and say 'time travel' because that would go over worse. And it was...technically not a lie, she did have a headache.

"Well, take a load off, sis. I'll finish the rest. You shouldn't be up and about if you're getting one of your headaches."

"I don't think it's one of those. I just haven't slept well recently."

"Either way, how can I help?" Emily asked, stepping into the kitchen and squeezing her shoulder. "I can do something."

"Help with the salad?"

"You've got it." Emily promised.

Gene stirred the soup and counted the times the knife hit the cutting board while counting the number of times the soup swirled. Two separate numbers, both rising at different paces. This world was easier, predictable. It made sense. Space had none of that sense, none of the usual, familiar pattern. This felt safe, reasonable...but boring all at the same time. Her head hurt, sharply, then eased off. Everything was so...crazy.

"I've never seen those clothes before, go shopping?" Emily asked.

Gene looked down. She was wearing a dress. She hadn't even thought of it, it was just what was first in the wardrobe. And she was starting to trust the fashion sense of the spaceship-and how weird is that?! A spaceship having a sense of fashion. Her head was really starting to hurt in a way she didn't like, a way that meant trouble. She looked from the peach colored dress down to the teal flats that sparkled. "Yeah, trying something new."

"I told you you'd look beautiful in dresses. Maybe we can get you a date after all." Emily smiled.

"A date?" Gene blushed.

"You're lonely, you've always been. You need friends and a date or two. It'll help you loosen up." Emily nodded. "Speaking of, you're coming to my acting class this Saturday."

"What?"

"Yes, you need to get out and do things, like a normal person."

"I get out." Gene protested. In fact, she's just been millions of light-years away and not to mention the trips forward and backward in time.

"Yes, because I drag you by your ponytail."

Gene froze and turned from her sink. "Em, I am grateful. I know what you're trying to do. I get it that you want me to live life fully. But it's a lot at once sometimes."

"I know, that's why we start small."

"Start small." Gene muttered to herself, then scoffed. Gene had jumped right into something far bigger than an acting class. "One small step for Man, one giant leap for Gene Cooper."

"Save the dramatics for acting class." Emily laughed. "And we should go shopping too. If you're up for wearing dresses, I have a whole store I want you to see. Perfect dresses, all for your body type. You'll look fantastic."

Gene heard the Doctor's voice echoing that last word. Her head hurt. She closed her eyes against the pain.

"And we have that dinner in two weeks. You've got that speech you have to give, so we could get you something fancy for that."

This was life, normal, everyday life with regular problems and predictable physics, and no dimensions shoved into other ones or the TARDIS having a mind of its own. And yet, in both lives there was an ocean outside her windows. It didn't make sense. None of it made sense. These two lives were just too much.

 _'But it makes perfect sense.'_ A voice whispered in the back of her head. ' _It's so simple, you just aren't there yet. So many answers, and you'll have the answers, they're within reach.'_

A stab of pain filled her head, like someone had jabbed a knife down between her eyes. "Ah!"

"Gene?"

Her head throbbed at her sister's voice. She covered her ears. Was someone screaming? God, she hadn't had one of these headaches in a long time. Why wouldn't the screaming stop?

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Something smelled amazing. That was what Gene realized first. It was like rain and spice. It was a warm and comforting smell that somehow managed to cut through the ache in her skull. The spicy, rainy smelled even better than the scent of food.

"Ah, that food smells lovely, who did the cooking?" That was a British accent, wasn't it?

"Um, my sister." Emily's voice said. "Thank you for coming... I'm sorry, but what are you a doctor of again?"

"Well, a few things."

Gene whimpered, it was too loud.

"Oh, sh, love. You're alright. Here."

Gene winced when she felt two hands on her head.

"It's alright, just relax. I'll help you." It was an unfamiliar British accent.

The fingers moved, pressing and massaging gently. It felt nice, really nice. Gene hummed in appreciation.

"There you go. Almost gone." The voice promised. And it was getting better, the pain was lifting.

"How are you doing that? She's been getting these headaches since she was a kid with nothing to help them, but you can just...make them fade?" Emily asked.

"Lot's of practice." The British man said.

Gene blinked open her eyes. The lights were dim, but not off. She was laying on the sofa, her head on someone's lap and Emily was kneeling across from her.

"Gene, are you alright? That was a bad one. We're lucky there was a doctor passing by, he heard you shout." Emily squeezed her hand.

"A doctor?" Gene's eyes moved up, towards the person above her. His hands were still on her head, gently massaging.

"That's me. We met before, Genie." He had dark brown hair that was just a little wild. His eyes were green. He seemed young and impossibly old at the same time. His eyes darted down though, to her hands, then back up at her face. "Maybe." He added in a whisper.

"I think I know you. What's with the bowtie?"

"Ah, that's a girl. You're brains probably just a bit jumbled. A real nasty headache you just had. I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Emily asked.

"Oh...you haven't talked about me? Wait, what's the date, again?" He pulled a hand away from Gene to look down at his watch. "Ah, that explains the cool welcome. I'm about a year early."

"A year early?" Emily asked. "I'm confused."

"It's okay, I know who he is. Could I have some tea, sis? The good one that helps me calm down?"

Emily frowned. "Okay, I'll be right back."

Gene suddenly realized her head was still on the Doctor's thigh and sat up quickly to be greeted with dizziness.

"Ooh, easy, take it easy." The Doctor warned, his voice troubled.

"So which one are you?" Gene asked, rubbing her head.

"Oh...so you _don't_ know me. I'm the eleventh."

"How did you do that? How did you make my headache better? Nothing has ever helped it."

"That's a bit of a secret, suffice to say, I've seen a few of your headaches. Learned how to help." The Doctor looked concerned. "You do feel better, right?"

"Yeah, surprisingly. What are you doing here though?"

"I'm actually a bit early. I was supposed to meet you later down the line, but...well, I uh, got it wrong. I mean, I knew I was off, but it's a good thing I came anyway."

"You always getting things wrong like this?" Gene asked.

 _"We_ are. You and I...even when I think we're finally on the same page, turns out we're not. Lot's of fun. I thought we were done meeting out of order by this point. Still, there are some things you-future you-won't tell me, so I imagine there's still some mystery to it." He reached out and stroked her face gently. "You're looking a bit less pale."

Gene pulled away from the touch, even if there was something soft and warm and genuine about it.

"Oh...you're so very young aren't you? Younger than I've seen you in a while. I'd almost forgotten how different you were." He frowned, then put on a smile. "It's alright, just means you've got the whole universe in front of you. That's exciting, isn't it?" He leaned forward, into her space and tapped her nose with his finger. "I tell you what though...I don't like the way you look at me."

"How do I look at you?"

"Like you don't trust me." He rubbed his face. "It's one of the worst things..." He shook his head. "I should head off. Got to leave you some mystery for your future, right?"

"You could have dinner, presuming it's still warm."

"No...I'd be keeping Amy and Rory waiting then...and you. I shouldn't keep you waiting. You'll be upset if I don't pick you up on time...again."

"I have some tea, Gene. Do you like coffee or tea, Doctor...?" Emily asked, still searching for his name as she stepped into the room.

"Neither, thanks. It looks like she's doing alright, I should actually be off." He stood up and walked over to Gene. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "You take care, rest up. I promise the traveling bit will get easier for you. You're going to love it." He stood up straight. "And try to trust me. Please. I don't like that look on your face, I really don't." He turned to Emily. "Thank you for the offer, Emily, but I should be going."

"Of course, thank you for helping my sister."

"Any time. Always." He smiled at Gene. "See you soon." He winked and walked off to the front door.

"Wow, you didn't tell me you knew a British man...nor that he was cute...or that he was into you."

"He's not into me."

"Forgive my Valley Girl, but he's, like, _soooo,_ into you." Emily laughed.

There was a knock on the door and it was thrown open without any answer. The Doctor popped his head around the corner. "And Genie?"

"Yeah, _Genie."_ Emily nudged her.

Gene blushed and quickly turned to look at the Doctor. "Yes?"

"Um...next time you see me, well, I'm sorry about everything and...uh, blue. It'll make sense later but...um...definitely always blue." He wrung his hands and shifted in a strange, awkward way. "Right, off I go. See you soon, Genie. L- Yeah, see you soon." He waved, hesitated for a moment, then left.

Emily let out a sighed. "He's a little weird, but I figure you could use some weird in your life."

"We're not dating. We're friends." It was a little weird, of course. She didn't know that Doctor at all, though she would consider herself...sort of friends with his younger self.

"Say's the girl who's **_SUDDENLY_** into dresses." She smirked, slipping into her 'valley girl' accent again.

"Em, I'm being serious!" Gene flushed. It wasn't like that, was it? He was just being helpful, right? Helpful by massaging her head as she lay on his thigh....okay there was logic there. Shit, now Emily had her confused and flustered. She didn't like being flustered or confused.

"I'll stop teasing you. But, sis, you can introduce him to me as your friend or your...something else any time." She held out a cup of tea. "You're head's doing better right?" She asked more seriously.

"Yeah."

"Good." Emily got up. "How about dinner then?"

"Sounds wonderful."

Gene needed a distraction. Because her sister was better with emotions. Did that make Emily right about these feelings? She was better, so was Emily right? No. Gene knew that much right? Love was a feeling, right? She'd notice those, wouldn't she? Though, there was none of those feelings. Just friendship, right?

Another mystery to solve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love. <3


	9. Dresses and Converse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should have more soon. I'm trying to decide how I want to work all the backwardness. I think I like it the way it's going, but we'll see.  
> Thank you for the support thus far. <3

Gene stepped out of the dressing room and held her hands out. "And this one?"

"I love it." Emily said, sitting up in her chair. Next to her there was a man reading a newspaper, obviously waiting for someone else to step outside of the dressing rooms. "Oh, but which one's better, that one or the blue one? Now that's the question."

Gene sighed. "I don't know. Should I try on the blue one again?"

"Yup." Emily nodded. "Go on, then we can pick."

"Fine." Gene huffed, and walked back into the dressing room. She locked the door and held one of her dresses over the door. "Hey, sis, can you go see if they have that one in a size smaller?" The chest had been...too generous on the dress. As usual.

"No problem." Emily grabbed the dress and her footsteps retreated.

Gene nodded and slipped off the green dress before putting on the blue one. She got the zip most of the way up, then had to fight with it a bit to get the zipper within reach and the rest of the way up, but it worked. "Gotcha. So green or blue?" She asked Emily, then she stepped out of the dressing room. Emily hadn't come back yet. Oops. Now she had to stand there awkwardly until she came back. She crossed her arms behind her back, feeling self-conscious.

"I like the blue one better, myself." The man said from behind the paper.

His voice was familiar, and British. "Doctor?"

He lowered his paper. He had on a nice suit and a coat, somehow making it work together with converse shoes. She met him before. She relaxed. "Hello, Gene. Fancy seeing you here."

"What are you doing?" Gene asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well, I thought you'd like to go off on an adventure."

"I just got done with one. I asked you for space and you've been here twice since I asked for some time to process."

The Doctor frowned. "Oh dear...the sabbatical, I'm sorry for interrupting it. I don't remember interrupting a time _before...buuut,_ I could use your help."

"I'm out with my sister, Doctor. I can't just run off with you at the drop of a hat."

"But **_adventure,_** Gene." The Doctor said, holding out his hand. "Come on."

"I can't just-" Gene paused. There was something wrong with him...something sad. It was in his eyes. He didn't look like he'd been crying, he just looked like he was...hollow. "What happened?"

"I can't tell you, Gene." The Doctor swallowed thickly. "Please, just come with me. Gene, I'm sorry, I know I came at a bad time, but it's the only time I knew of, for sure, that I wouldn't be crossing timelines."

Gene looked down at her phone and memorized the time and place before she grabbed his hand.

The Doctor pulled her into a dressing room and then into the TARDIS. He turned and pulled her into a hug.

Gene stiffened, but then hugged him back. Every question that crossed her mind felt stupid. He obviously wasn't okay. He was obviously upset. Something bad obviously had happened. She wasn't good at this, she didn't understand it. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor sniffled and rested his cheek on the top of her head. She felt so small in his arms, tiny. But then again, the man was a foot taller than her. "It isn't your fault. It's nobody's fault really...but it happened." He slowly pulled away. "I'm _sorry,_ I know you don't like to do the hugging thing, but I just needed..."

"It's okay. We all do sometimes." Gene looked around.

The TARDIS was empty. It was just them. Something had happened, something bad. Every time she'd met the Doctor he'd been with someone, traveling with someone. She could tell he needed that. He needed someone with him. He wasn't the sort of person who should ever be alone. She felt that way too, when she was alone there was something there, something that haunted her. She feared the days when she was alone, when her sister was out of town or...the inevitability that she'd move out and move on with her life. Gene knew she couldn't take being alone with her own mind. The look on the Doctor's face seemed much the same.

The Doctor straightened up and walked to the console. "Any place you've ever wanted to go, but haven't?"

"Doctor..."

"Please." He looked at her with that sad look on his face. _"Please,_ Gene."

Gene bit her lip. "I've never seen the Grand Canyon."

"Seriously? It's just down the road and you've never seen it?"

"I got sick when my family went, I had to stay home with my adoptive grandma."

"Grand Canyon it is. Mind you, you probably won't want to go hiking in that dress, especially with the tag's still on."

Gene looked down at the blue dress and her eyes widened. "Oh no. Does this mean I technically just stole a dress?"

"Well...technically. But I'll pop you back in there like you never left. I imagine you memorized the date and time?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Oh... You always have a timestamp for me. That's not too spoilery, right?"

"Nope."

"Alright, I'll get us to the Grand Canyon, you switch clothes so you don't ruin a dress you haven't bought yet."

"Right, I'll be back." Gene grinned and headed for her room. Once she stepped in, she changed into leggings and a flowy t-shirt before slipping on a pair of tennis shoes. She opened her door and headed back to the console room. "That was a nice smooth flight."

"You know, I do actually know what I'm doing." The Doctor said, though it lacked levity. Gene really didn't know if this Doctor had levity. She didn't know him very well. She knew the ninth Doctor better...this one, well, she didn't know what to expect from him. "I grabbed us some water, shouldn't be too hot though. Come on, Gene."

She walked up to the doors.

He patted her back. "Go ahead, this is for you."

With a pull, Gene opened the doors and stepped out into the sunlight. The colors were beautiful, brilliant. Red, orange, yellow, brown, green, bright blue. "This is amazing."

"Yes, but the best view is from right there." The Doctor pointed to a spire of stone. "If we climb down that way and along that ridge, then up, we'll be able to see the perfect sunset."

"Sounds awesome. But...where are all the people, the tourists...the noise?" There was noise, of course, but of animals and wind in the trees, distant waterfalls...but no chattering, no shouts, no screams.

"Let's just say that at this particular date, there is no one here. Just us. Figured you liked it a bit more quiet, rather than busy."

"Thank you." Gene smiled. "That way?"

The Doctor nodded. "That way."

They walked together in silence for a while. Gene was in awe of her surroundings. All the beauty in the universe and there was a slice of it not too far from home. She looked over into the canyon and her foot caught a rock. She yelped, but two hands grabbed her firmly around her waist before she could hit the ground.

"Watch your step." The Doctor said, gently putting her back on her feet. "It's pretty to look at, but if you fall in you might go splat at the bottom...not as pretty."

"Thank you." Gene laughed. She couldn't name the strange feeling she felt...like something was fluttering in her stomach. She felt uneasy with it though. "So you've been here before?"

"Oh, yes, a couple of times." The Doctor nodded. "The last time I was here, it was a bit of a thing with pterodactyls."

Gene paused and thought about that for a moment. "Okay, I accept your reality."

The Doctor laughed. "What's wrong with my reality?"

"Nothing, it's just absurd from my point of the view, most of the time."

"Absurd? Me? Never!" They made it to a wall, twelve feet high. The Doctor easily climbed it, his long limbs finding all the hand and footholds without any trouble.

Gene started to climb and relearned very quickly that she did not have long limbs. "Yeah, is there a stepladder anywhere nearby?" Gene asked, clinging to the wall.

"No stepladder. Come on." The Doctor lay flat and held out his hand. "I've got you."

Gene froze.

"Gene, reach up. Trust me, I'll pull you up." The Doctor said.

Up until that point it had been so easy to ignore that she was climbing canyon walls, that there was a massive drop along the sides of the trail. It had all been ground, ground was safe. But now it felt high, too high. What if she fell again? Always falling. "I don't want to fall." Her heart was pounding in her chest.

 _'It hurts to fall. Hurts worse to **survive** the fall._' Her thoughts supplied, making her heart race faster.

"Gene. Genie, look at me."

Gene looked up into the brown, steady eyes. Calmness was there, she latched onto it.

"I don't know where we are at, timeline wise. I have a good idea, but I never know fully with you. I want you to know, here and now, you can trust me. Just reach. I'll catch you."

Gene let go of the wall and reached up her hand.

He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her up, grabbing under her arms as soon as he could to take the pressure off her limbs. "There you are. See?"

She nodded in silent agreement. The Doctor, the eleventh one, had spoken about her as if he were used to her unconditional trust. If her future self was capable of all that trust...maybe she should get on the train before it left the station. _"Pterodactyls_ though?"

"That's a funny story. You'll like it." The Doctor laughed, before telling his story as they climbed further up, out to the rocky spire. They got there right as the sun began to set and Gene stared out at the sky as it lit on fire, turning orange, red, yellow, and pink. The clouds changed colors as well, drenched in the dying light of the sun.

The sunset passed in silence. The clear night sky was full of stars. The moon was full and orange as it rose. "Are you alright?" Gene asked quietly. As she shivered in the cool night breeze. It was too pretty to leave, but it was also getting close to cold. The dry air didn't hold the heat once the sun went down.

"I'm not sure, yet." The Doctor said. He stood up from his place at the edge of their rocky seat and pulled off his coat. "Here."

"I-I'm fine." Gene tried to protest.

"Gene." The Doctor's voice was a little more stern.

She reached out and put the coat on. It swamped her form, but it was delightfully warm. It smelled amazing too. Huh, it smelled the same way the air had smelled around the eleventh Doctor. Maybe they wore the same cologne, they were the same person...ish, right? She wrapped it around herself and felt the chill go away. "I wish I could help."

"You are helping." The Doctor promised, laying back and staring up at the stars.

Gene lay back too, their heads almost meeting in the middle of the ledge.

"Where do you want to go next?"

This Doctor, he was running as fast and far from whatever upset him as possible. Gene could...well, almost relate. She'd run away from living most of her life. "I don't know." Gene answered. "What's that one?" She asked pointing to a star above her.

"That one?" The Doctor asked.

From her angle, he was not pointing at the right star. She grabbed his wrist and moved his hand so he was pointing to the star that was the least bright of all the others. "That one."

"Mm... It's called Ralanit...but I don't think I've ever been."

"We could go there." Gene said with a yawn. She was just so comfortable. She shouldn't be. She was laying on a rock hundreds of feet up. It was no bigger than 88.580661 square feet, by her estimated math. But there she was, warm, comfortable, unafraid, and the coat, the coat did smell good.

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

"Quick nap first."

"Just don't go rolling over in your sleep." The Doctor warned with a slight teasing tone.

"Okay..."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"Gene?" The Doctor asked after a few moments of silence. Had she really been serious about a nap? He turned his head and saw that she had been indeed serious. Her head was lolled towards him, lips parted, eyelids lightly pressed closed, her eyelashes casting soft shadows over her pink cheeks. She was adorable. "Goodnight, Gene. Thank you." He'd needed it, a way to get out of his own mind, a way to stop thinking of how he'd failed Rose...and this, it was perfect. For now, the universe seemed back in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love. <3


	10. The Brains of the University

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It doesn't always pay to be smart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter (in the normal timeline) takes place right after The Runaway Bride. Things are gonna get a little wibbly wobbly from time to time.  
> Spot the Merlin quote and get a prize (but not like a literal one...more like a virtual high-five).

"What's this?" The Doctor muttered. "Oh, come on, girl, why are you acting like this?"

"What are you doing?" Gene asked, stepping into the console room.

He looked up and realized what a sight he must've been, wrapped up in cords and parts were everywhere around him. "Maintenance."

"Maintenance." She parroted back in a cute way. "Need help?"

"It's all rather complex and science-y and...actually, yeah. You'd be brilliant at this. What am I thinking? I'm an idiot."

"I took some engineering classes, nothing close to what this beauty is though. Walk me through it? I'll help if I can."

"Alright, here we are." He started to explain everything to her, and she, on occasion, finished his explanations for him. "You're really very clever you know? This does explain the times you fixed her up for me, and the fact that you seem to have a handle on how to drive her."

"Her?" Gene asked as she worked.

The Doctor blushed a little bit. "My TARDIS, she's a she...and a lovely lady at that."

"I could see that, she's certainly beautiful." Gene laughed. "It's so funny, even Time Lords personify their modes of transportation. So, what's her name?"

The Doctor wasn't sure he should say it. "I only call her by name when we're alone."

"So I'm not allowed to hear it?" Gene wondered.

"I call her...I call her Sexy." The Doctor admitted with a little bit of a blush. "But don't tell anyone that. It's between you, me, and...Sexy."

"It's a good name for her. I'd call her Beautiful myself." Gene held out her hand and the Doctor shook it. "Secret safe with me."

He snorted. They worked for a short time, chatting as they got the TARDIS back into order. "She just started kicking up a fuss after that thing with Donna."

"Donna?" Gene asked sounding curious.

"Yeah, sorry, said too much. It was a thing with a wedding and stuff." He sighed. "Alright, we should be all set. Want to come up there and help fly? I think you'll catch on, there's a rhythm to it, you know?"

"Sure." Gene nodded.

"And! I found a new world by that star you pointed out. Well, the world's not new, just new to me. And I thought we could go visit. Apparently it's the home to the biggest university in the universe. That was fun to say. Anyway they highly regard intelligence and it's such a big university that it's simply known as **_THE_** University, they have the best teachers from all across the stars. You'll fit right in and it might help you get over that craving of knowledge you always have."

"Smart on one planet doesn't translate to smart on all of them."

"You've surprised me on several before, you might surprise yourself."

Gene blushed at the compliment, weirdly worded as it was. She looked down at her clothes. "What should I wear?"

"Something comfortable." The Doctor shrugged.

"I hate to quote a show at you, but um...will it be hot? Will it be cold? Will it be wet? Will it be dry?"

"Oh, that probably is important information, one second." The Doctor pressed a few buttons and looked at his screen. "Late spring or early summer attire will do nice."

"Thank you." Gene walked away. She quickly got dressed in a tank top, loose sweater, and jean shorts that were a bit tight across her thighs, but they'd be find to walk in. She put on a pair of tennis shoes and headed back out. The TARDIS shook and she rolled her eyes, grabbing the rail as the TARDIS jerked again.

"Gene, could use a hand, this ship technically isn't made for one person."

"What do I need to do?"

"Like you don't know." The Doctor looked back down, then up a second later. "Oh, you don't actually know yet, damn. Come here, those switches, then the lever, then wait for me and then pull that handle."

"Gotcha." Gene stumbled forward and made it to the console, helping him.

"Landed nicely, didn't we? Not bad."

"Thanks."

"Alright, allons-y!" They headed outside.

They were in a huge room, with marble floors and carved wooden walls, and thousands of books on shelves. "It looks like a law library." Gene commented. It sort of looked like a library, but in the center there was a huge tube, full of water that looked like it was mixed with something luminescent. There were two metal cords reaching downwards, but Gene couldn't see the end of them as there was a bookshelf in the way.

"Well, I did get us into the University, maybe they have a law wing." The Doctor shrugged.

"I've never looked into law, you know, aside from the basics everyone should know." Gene walked forward and grabbed a book. "I wonder what their laws are." Before she could open the book a glowing orb flew in front of her face.

"Identification, University Badge needed."

"I don't have a badge." Gene said. "I'm just visiting."

"Are you not a student?"

"No."

"We're just browsing, is all, don't mind us." The Doctor smiled. "Lovely place here."

"Only students are allowed into the University."

"Could we, maybe get a day pass or, something?" The Doctor commented.

"I wouldn't mind getting a pass. It must be a massive school." Gene agreed.

"Confirmation, you would like to attend the University?" The glowing orb robot asked.

"Sure?" Gene nodded.

"I've got time for a class or two, mind you there may be some records of cheating on my transcripts, but those were false accusations...mostly. Though...mind you some of the cheating I had help with."

"Cheating? Are you really a doct-" Gene gasped as something pierced her neck. "Doctor?" She lifted her hand and pulled out a dart. "I feel dizzy."

"No, no, no." The Doctor grabbed Gene and slowly lowered her to the floor. "Hey, are you with me? Can you hear me?"

"Doctor?" Gene whispered, the world going blurry.

"What have you done to her? Ow!" He touched the side of his own neck, a dart sticking out of it.

"You will participate to gain entry."

Gene barely heard them now. Everything was going dark as her body went slack in the Doctor's arms.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"Gene, Gene?"

Someone was shaking her shoulders. She groaned and opened her eyes. The light was really bright. The colors all blurred together. She blinked a couple times and the colors formed a person. "Doctor?"

"Ah, there you are, I was getting worried. Are you alright?"

"I'm a little disoriented, but fine, I think." Gene put her hands against the ground and sat up. "Where are we?"

"I was just about to ask that myself. I just woke up." The Doctor stood and held out his hand to Gene, pulling her to her feet. "Right, so, what's going on here?"

Gene looked around and saw eight other people, all of different species scattered around them. They appeared to be in some sort of waiting room, full of chairs and sparsely decorated, but the room had five doors.

Someone laughed. "We got easy competition then if these two don't know."

"Don't know what?" Gene asked.

"We were just trying to have a look around the University. They said we needed to be students is there some...entrance exam or something?"

A woman with wings lifted off the ground and looked between the Doctor and Gene. "Oh, they really don't know."

"Don't tell them, easier on us that way." An green-skinned man said.

"But they should know." The winged woman said.

"I'd love to know." The Doctor beamed at the flying girl and walked toward her. "What're we doing here?"

"It's the entrance exam. It changes every year. To get into the college you have to pass ten tests. Only the one person gets full access to the University."

"Sounds simple." The Doctor nodded. "Suppose I'll have to flip you for it, Gene, don't think I'll take it easy on you. I really want to see inside that school."

"Don't you _get_ it? Nobody comes out. Only the best and brightest get in, only the smartest gains full access. I've been waiting to get into a test for _years._ It seems you two weren't actually interested. I'm sorry, but you'll lose."

The Doctor looked at Gene and took a few steps closer to her. "We stick together, we solve this and then we stop it."

"I agree." Gene nodded.

"Attention, scholars. The examinations will begin at the end of this announcement. Be sure to follow any and all of the instructions for each test. For some tests, teamwork is encouraged, but do not break rules during single tests. For your first test, locate the key to one of the five doors. Only two may enter each door. Keep in mind the University motto."

The words the others in the room said in sync with each other sounded completely foreign to Gene. "What did they say?"

"Basically that natural selection breeds intelligence."

"Oh...not in my experience, some people get lucky."

"Gene!" The Doctor looked at her, aghast.

"What? If that were true, the Earth should be full of genii by now. But that's not what natural selection's about, it's about adapting... And genius isn't needed to survive anyways...Oh."

"'Oh' what?" The Doctor asked.

"This test isn't just going to be about brains, it's going to be about being clever and adapting. I'm not too sure I'm great at the later two."

"That's why you have me. I tend to be clever more than smart."

Gene laughed. "So, we're Pinky and the Brain? Though you're a bit too smart to be Pinky."

"I have no clue what that is."

"It was a bit before my time too, my sister loves it... Um. Sherlock and Watson?"

"I could see that, yeah." The Doctor said. "What's the first thing you do when you get a test?"

"Read the instructions." Gene answered. "The first test I got in school had lots of questions on it, but the fine print at the beginning said 'Place name on paper and turn in, do not answer anything' I failed that day, but I learned my lesson. If that brings you any comfort."

"I'm not worried about us, Gene. I've got the smartest woman on Earth with me and you've got a Time Lord with you. We're fine...they aren't."

Gene frowned and looked at the others. "They don't seem too worried or upset. Even I know this is wrong, though it gives another layer to fear of test taking. Usually the nightmare is not knowing the subject you're being tested on or showing up to class naked."

The Doctor tilted his head to the side. "You had dreams about showing up to class naked?"

"Nightmares, absolute nightmares." Gene shivered. "You try concentrating on AP Chemistry when people twice your age are ridiculing you. I still feel terrified thinking of that nightmare." She'd been a child in a high school, and she'd once had a nightmare she'd show up naked to class her junior year. She already got enough scorn being young, but that nightmare had been a whole different level.

"Humans are so weird sometimes." The Doctor shook his head. "Ah, paper." He bent down and pulled a page out from under a seat. "The key to any door is a sound mind."

"Really? Riddles? I thought this would be more...you know, book stuff."

"Lots of different types of intelligence. Got to test them all."

Gene leaned in against the Doctor and pointed up.

He followed her eyes. "Speaker? You really think?"

"It'd be simple, but most people don't try the simple things when the expect complex things."

"I'll give you a boost." The Doctor put the paper in his pocket and frowned.

"I don't like that look."

"I don't have my screwdriver..." He ground his teeth together and took a deep breath and schooled his face. "No worries, between you and me we can do this." He folded his hands together. "Step up."

"I shouldn't."

"Gene, now's not the time to be self-conscious about your weight, you're fine."

She huffed and put her hands on his shoulders before stepping into his hands. He lifted her and she pushed up on the speaker in the ceiling. A key card came free and she put it in her pocket. The Doctor slowly lowered her down. "That's for you, one more." The Doctor turned, looking around the room. The others were searching, keeping quite calm. "Ah!" He walked forward to a wall and lifted a frame off it a key card tumbled out. "Gotcha."

"How did you know that was there?" Gene asked, walking to him.

"The paint strokes had a binary pattern."

"Cool." She turned toward the five doors. "We're the first up, we have our pick."

"Which door though? That's the question."

"I'm not superstitious. Plus, if it's really an exam all of the doors following this should lead to identical tests, for fairness. You can't gauge a person's knowledge against someone else's without a standard test, but then again, that test has to cover all types of intelligence to be truly fair." Gene frowned.

"With only ten tests, this exam isn't exactly fair. I like door number four, do you like door number four?"

"Yeah, sure." They both scanned their cards at the door and walked in. The door locked behind them.

"Okay, I'll talk to you about this now that we're not in the room with them. This test is a race. The first person through it wins, everyone else dies, right?"

"That's the rules." Gene nodded as they walked down the dark hallway. The Doctor grabbed her arm and stopped her. "What is it?"

"They'll probably force us apart at some point. I need you to work as fast as you can through this. I'll take it a bit slower. I need you to win it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a Time Lord. I can regenerate if I get trapped somewhere, you can't, you're human. You've got one life so you need to win."

"We can both get out." Gene shook her head.

"You heard them...no cheating. I doubt they'll be kind to cheaters." The Doctor put his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me, I'm serious. I can't tell you what happened...but I failed someone, recently, and I don't want a replay of that. Understand? You use that brilliant head of yours and you get out of here as fast as you can, I'll be right behind you and...do something clever to get out, got it? You're smart enough, you're brilliant, show them that. I'll get myself out."

"Okay, but we're both getting out."

The Doctor smiled, but it didn't reach his brown eyes. "Let's go."

Gene frowned. This man was willing to risk dying to make sure she got to the end first? What sort of man was he? 'A doctor.' Her mind supplied. If she were faced with the same test, would she pass it with the kindness he had...or would she fail? She wondered if she could absorb this sort of thing through osmosis. Maybe if she could stay close to him, she might learn a thing or two about humanity...which was strange, considering he wasn't human.

The next two rooms were quite easy, between the two of them and they rushed through them. Then they opened the door into the fourth test. It was a maze. "So, according to this plaque we have to choose different doors after this."

"Alright." The Doctor nodded. "Come on, let's find you an exit first."

"But Doctor-"

"No buts." He grabbed her hand.

Normally she'd protest against the touch, but he seemed nervous. His hand was even a little clammy, as if he were afraid. This was...really more about him than her, so she let him hold on.

"Come on."

Gene was starting to not like this. Why would a school do this? Supposedly the biggest University in the world and they were killing off the brilliant minds that came to them. It made no sense. The smartest people in the universe should come together and speak openly and learn from each other, not kill one another. It just didn't sit right with her. "Doctor, this test doesn't make sense."

"In all my travels, I've found that things rarely make much sense." The Doctor pulled her around a corner and sighed. "Ah. Here we are. Teleport for you, milady."

"I'm not sure I want to-"

"Gene, we don't have time to waste, you need to go."

"But it doesn't make sense, Doctor. True intelligence should be used for everyone's good and we should all listen to each other and grow. Science and math are supposed to be industries of sharing, aren't other educational endeavors like that? We work together we research and dedicate time an energy to help each other make the next step. That's how it should be, so what the hell is this test?"

"Gene, not everyone thinks the same way. It should be that way. We should share knowledge and grow together, but not all people are like that. We get through this and we make sure no one else gets hurt here." He nudged her onto the teleport pad.

"Just wait a moment, Doctor-"

"I'll see you at the end, Gene."

"But they're doing something else here, filtering people. I don't know what it is, but it's...I don't like it. Like a weird selection process. I think the pressure isn't real. Why kill off the smartest in the universe. It doesn't a-"

"Wait, _what?"_ The Doctor wondered.

"Teleport activated."

"Doctor-" She couldn't step off in time before she was in a new room. There were equations all over the wall and instructions.

Answer ten questions correctly and then hit the button to leave.

"Something weird is going on here." There were twenty equations on the wall. Math was her specialty, though. These questions were easy, to her, anyways, most people would think they were absolute gibberish. She answered all of them. They had to be watching, someone had to grade these tests. She was pretty sure that this place didn't just go killing everyone that arrived. That would be a waste. She was going to make sure they saw she was smart. She had a feeling they were really looking for that. "So far, I have spent fifteen minutes, and forty-two seconds in your test. You want that, the precision, the smarts under pressure. I don't know why just yet, but the fact that you make this a race...that says something." She hit the button and the door opened. "Let's see what else you've got for me."

Weird though. All the rooms started to become complex math problems.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor teleported took his sweet time getting through the rooms. But after the ninth room, he found himself in a basement. There was a note on the wall, stating that he had passed and that the University was now open for him. "What? What?!" There was no one else with him. He walked slowly down the hallway and turned. A glowing orb robot floated up to him.

"Congratulations. Here is your student badge. You nearly qualified for a higher position, but it was filled. You may now study all subjects at the University."

"Thanks...but I didn't finish the test."

"You finished enough of the test, your area of expertise is already covered."

"What?"

"The test was not for you. We currently have openings in biochemistry and higher mathematics."

"Oh... Oh no..." The Doctor whispered, realizing exactly who could have taken this 'opening' in mathematics. "Where's the mathematics department? I'd love to study that. The real complex stuff, you know? The stuff most people don't get because they're too thick. I love maths."

"I will guide you." The orb began to float away.

"Make it quick." The Doctor said, taking off at a run. The orb obliged and flew faster.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene finished the tenth test with a bit of sweat on her brow. It was not her best subject and she'd sworn she was wrong, but somehow she'd gotten through. She found herself on a small circular platform. "So...no welcome party, why am I not surprised? I don't like this." The door behind her closed and she was tapped in a tube, the platform lowering. It looked like the tube that was in the law library. A voice filled the claustrophobic tube.

"Congratulations, you'll do well as a researcher and teacher for the University."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Congratulations, Name Unknown, please remain calm while you are integrated."

"Do I want to know what that means?" The platform came to a stop and she looked around. She was in a large hall, full of numbers on screens and people working massive equations on boards..." She looked up and the spot above her saw some sort of panel. Then a noise she really didn't like, almost like a gurgle, then water began to seep up from the floor, quickly as cords began to extend from the ceiling of the tube. "Really not good."

"Please remain calm, while you are being integrated."

"May I ask what integration entails?"

"The mind is preserved and hooked into our serves to do research and lessons for the University. You will be one with our system."

Gene reached down quickly and ripped off her shoes and socks, she pulled off her shorts and sweater. She couldn't worry about her dignity or about how her tank top would look once it got wet, she needed to be as light as possible if she had to swim. She began to calculate just how long it would take for the volume to be filled with water. She had four minutes, then an additional two before she breathed. "You seem like a reasonable AI." Gene knelt and tried to find a seam below her, hoping to find some way to work on pulling this thing apart, it had to have a draining method, somewhere. "So what happens during integration?"

"Very inquisitive, Name Unknown, you will be a good teacher. The formula will preserve the brain functions while ceasing all others and then the neuron pads will connect. Remain calm, it is mostly painless. Transfer can be effected when teachers panic."

"Right, very reasonable. Thanks. So basically the body dies and you preserve me like a pickle, leaving only my brain functioning, cool." There was nothing below her, no seams. Her only hope was the door up at the top of the tube, which meant she'd have to wait for the water levels to rise. If she could reach the cords...she might be able to climb them to gain exactly thirty more seconds to work at the top. They looked grip-y enough, but Gene would be wet, as it was she almost had to tread water already. "Breathe, nice and easy. Let's do this. Panic will _not_ help me now..."

-DWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor skidded into the room and his eyes widened. Gene was holding onto a metallic cord and ripping open something at the top of the tube. The Doctor put on his glasses and examined the tube. It was a neuron link...nothing like he'd seen before. He looked at the neighboring tube and saw a body floating, quite dead but preserved, in the liquid, the ends of the cords wrapped around the man's head like fingers. And Gene's tube was filling up.

He'd encouraged her to work fast, encouraged her to show her brains and the University decided they wanted her brains for their own purposes. He'd done this, he'd gotten her into this.

"No, no, no!" The Doctor looked around the base of the tube and found a tiny panel. "Come on, please be what I need." Out of instinct he reached for his screwdriver, only to curse. It was gone, he'd have to do this manually.

-DWDWDWDWDW-

"Please, remain calm."

"Oh, shut _up!"_ Gene shouted at the AI that kept reminding her to be calm. She was calm...for the most part. The voice was damn annoying though. She only had thirty seconds before she was underwater. She'd tried nearly everything, but the water was almost upon her. Her neck was bent backwards as her forehead neared the ceiling. She was out of time. She took three, deep breaths before she held it as the water filled the tube completely.

"Please, take a deep, quick breath to speed the integration process." The AI said unhelpfully.

Gene's eyes burned when she opened them, whatever was in the water was painful. She didn't want that to enter her lungs. She reached up to work in the panel, but no matter what she changed, the water level didn't drop.

"Please cooperate with integration or we shall intercede." Something wrapped around her ankles.

Gene kicked her feet, but the wires pulled her down, away from her only hope.

She looked down and saw the Doctor at the base, working on something. She tried to grab at something, anything, but there was nothing, the walls were smooth and she was dragged lower and lower.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor saw something above him and looked up. Gene was being drug down to the bottom, obviously holding her breath as she reached down, trying to get the wires off her legs. "I'll get you out." He promised, pulling wires out. "I promise."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene felt one cord unwrap from her legs and she looked up. The cords above her were descending and opening, as if preparing to wrap around her skull like two skeletal hands. She couldn't struggle too much. If she did she'd lose her breath faster. She had to be smart. What was missing from above? It couldn't be turned off from the inside, so what was the inside missing? Maybe she could tell him if she thought of it.

The one cord that had let go of her ankle was wrapping around her chest. It was going to force the air out of her lungs to make her breathe. She _didn't_ have time.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor was almost there. Just a few more wires. Then he heard struggling. He looked up and saw Gene's face, just a foot from his. His hands kept working, but his eyes wouldn't stray from the horrible sight. Her body was wrapped up tight, being squeezed. She was wriggling, her face changing colors as bubbles escaped her mouth. Her eyes met his and she squirmed and faced the other way.

Gene Cooper, as she was drowning, instead of taking a moment to panic for herself, to reach out and bang on the tube and plead for help as most would. She'd turned away so the Doctor wouldn't see her drown. Instead of acting in fear, she acted out of kindness and his hearts pounded in agony. Gene was dying. His dear friend was dying and she'd known enough about his pain and fears to try to hide that. A few more air bubbles escaped. Then...Gene's body convulsed in a way that wasn't natural, then it went still and the wires above descended quicker, set to wrap around her head.

"No. Come on, come on, come on. _**GOTCHA!"**_ He got it to work, the water began to drain, the wires pulled away from her. The platform below her opened and her body was flushed downward with the water. He needed to find where that let out. He got up and ran.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The drainage led to a sewer, where many bodies at different stages of decay floated. It seemed that once "brains" lost their use...this is where the brains and their dead bodies went. The Doctor tossed his coat and jacket off as he searched for Gene in the dark. He found her by her water darkened red-hair. He jumped into the water and swam to her. He wrapped an arm around her and swam for the edge, pulling her up. "Come on, Gene, stay with me." He climbed up next to her and leaned down, listening for her breath. There was no sound. He pressed his fingers to her pulse, but there was no beat. He put his hands to her temples. It was invasive and he didn't like doing it unless he had to...but in this case, he had to know if her brain was still functioning.

_'Can't move. Can't move. Can't breathe. Why can't I breathe? Can't move. It's so empty. There's nothing. Nothing. What's out there in this emptiness? Are **THEY** there? Can't move. Can't breathe. I want to breathe.'_

Whatever was in that water, it specifically targeted everything that wasn't the brain. Her body was dead, her mind was trapped, still alive. She was scared.

"Can you hear me?" He asked, opening her mouth and clearing her airway. Hearing was the last sense to go, if he had any shot of communicating with her, that would be it. "Gene, can you hear my voice when I speak?"

_'Doctor? Where is he? I can't move. Is he trapped too?'_

"No, you're going to be alright. I'm going to help you...this'll probably hurt a bit though." He leaned down and took a deep breath, pinching her nose closed and breathing for her.

He could still hear her thoughts, scared and frantic, moving almost too fast for him to keep up with.

_'It's all empty. There's nothing. They'll hurt me again.'_

The Doctor couldn't ask who she was afraid of, but somehow he knew she wasn't talking about the University. "This is going to hurt, I'm sorry." He knew with chest compressions, when done right, ribs usually ended up broken. He did the compressions, but her body didn't react. "Come on." He breathed for her again. Sure, her brain was alert, but her heart, her body, he needed to get them back in sync. Her skin wasn't a pleasant color and whatever was in her system...it wasn't good. Then he gave her compressions again and felt two ribs crack under his hands. He could feel her pain in her head.

"Sorry, Gene." The Doctor whispered. He tilted her head back again, pinched her nose and breathed.

Gene choked.

"Yup, yup, yes, good." He turned her onto her side as she gagged and way too much water flooded out of her small frame. "Good, get it out." He rubbed her back as she coughed.

"T-th-" She coughed again.

"Easy, just work on breathing first. You don't need to speak."

She gagged and gasped for breath as he patted and rubbed her back. She opened her eyes after a moment and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Th-they didn't kill the o-others did they?" She seemed somewhere between sure and worried.

"No...I don't think so. Turns out the smart ones are the ones they kill, they use them as their researchers..." The Doctor patted her back gently. "Sorry, it's my fault. I told you to show off. I should've realized it smelled bad, I should've listened to you."

"It's okay." She coughed again, hard. "I'm tired." She shifted, curling in on herself as goosebumps covered her skin. She groaned at her own movements.

"Don't sleep." The Doctor moved and grabbed his jacket and coat. He tied the jacket around her waist once he realized that she'd taken off her shorts to swim easier. He hoped it'd keep prying eyes from trying to see how she looked in her underwear. Then he wrapped her up in his coat and picked her up as gently as he could, keeping in mind her broken ribs. "Come on, you have to stay up. Let's get you sorted and then we'll get this place sorted."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love.


	11. Is This Friendship or Something Else?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun with this one. Sorry about the wait, I had this sitting around and I didn't like it originally, so I re-did it and like it better. Hope you do too.  
> Also, I did some editing to earlier chapters, hope you like.

The Doctor put Gene down in the medbay and used the equipment to scan her. The last thing he needed were those chemicals in the water hurting her further...and he didn't want her to dry drown. He grabbed a needle with pain meds in it and turned over her arm. "There's going to be a pinch, should help with the pain in your ribs."

Her nose wrinkled when he pressed the needle into her flesh, but she didn't make a big fuss. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry for breaking them in the first place." The Doctor apologized, then he grabbed another needle. "It's my fault...all these needles.

"No...the needles suck; but that's not what I was talking about. Thank you, for saving me."

"Always, Gene." The Doctor swore, hoping it was true. "One more pinch, this one might feel weird." He drew a blood sample. He needed to know what was in that water, just in case there were any lasting effects.

"Ew."

"Broken ribs are fine, but drawing blood is bad?" The Doctor asked with a small scoff.

"All of it sucks. I don't like blood or needles though, if I'm being honest." She turned her head to the side. "Can I sleep?"

"Not just yet, stick with me a bit longer, until we know you're safe, deal?"

"If I must."

The Doctor scoffed gently, a small frown on his face. "Regretting coming with me this time?"

"Not yet... We found a place where people are hurting, now they can be helped. And we survived it. _So...yay."_ Then she wrinkled her nose. "I feel funny."

"Funny bad or funny weird?" He asked, concerned.

"Loopy."

"That'll be the pain meds kicking in." The Doctor nodded, putting a bandage over her arm and heading toward a machine. "Explains your optimism too."

"I'm optimistic...sometimes. Well, more realist...you got me there. Now I feel rambling. Am I rambling? I feel like I'm rambling."

"Yup, that'll be the drugs." He grinned.

"What're you doing?"

"Figuring out what they put in that water. It shouldn't have done what it did. It hit your system too quick, spread everywhere in almost an instant. I could see it happen." He shivered at the image of her body jerking in the water, just once before going still.

"So you're like...a really real doctor?"

He smiled over at her as the machine did it's job, figuring out what was in her system. "Yes, in many things, Gene."

"That's how you fixed my headache before?"

"Sure, Gene." The Doctor laughed. He'd have to go along with her for a little bit. The medicine was obviously messing with her. He'd never fixed any of her headaches.

"Wait, that one wasn't you. Well he was you, but not _you."_ Gene hummed. "It's nice getting to know you all, you're all so different, but...the same too. Blue, brown, and green eyes. It's all so strange. I mean, you're strange, but it's fine. I don't mind strange."

"Nice to know." The Doctor looked at the readings and frowned. The chemicals seemed to be dissipating, but they were specifically designed to kill everything that isn't the brain. Those poor people were trapped, dead and alive at the same time, stuck in darkness and thought.

Gene kept talking. "And you're nice to me. That's nice. People haven't always been nice to me."

"Well, they aren't the best of people then and they didn't deserve you."

"I'm not sure I'm good at knowing people...stuff. Like people-y stuff. Like Sis always says these things and I know she's better at things like emotions and stuff, but I never get it. I don't understand the people stuff...maybe if it were more like science, with a hypothesis and stuff. Could I test emotions like a hypothesis? No, probably not. Why's being a human so hard? It's hard right?"

"I don't know." The Doctor laughed.

Gene looked confused for a moment before her face broke and she giggled. Full on giggled. "Because you're not human, I get it." She laughed again, then grimaced. "My ribs hurt."

"That'll go away soon." The Doctor promised.

"That guy said you had two hearts. Do all Time Lords have two hearts?" Gene asked, her head lolling back against the pillow.

The Doctor walked forward to her bedside. "Yup. All of us."

"So _weird."_ Gene grinned. "How do they work?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Some things don't change even under drugs." He looked around and grabbed a stethoscope. "They work just like hearts work, Gene. Want to check?"

"Always. Science involves testing." She held out her hands for the stethoscope. "Can I have?"

"Sure." He handed them over.

She put the earpieces in and held it out. "Where...where are they?"

The Doctor stepped forward and guided her hand, gently placing it over his left heart. "There's one."

Gene's eyebrows furrowed in a cute, focused way as she listened.

The Doctor felt weird. Her hand was so warm his over his heart. It felt...nice. Very nice. There was something warm ballooning in his chest. It was weird...a feeling he hadn't felt in a while. Was it...? He shook himself. "And here..." He gently moved her hand lower, to the right. "There."

"Four beats. It's a triplet and then an extra beat." She sighed. "It's a nice sound. I've always liked triplet's. They're fun to play in music."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhm." Gene looked puzzled again. "The sound is so different."

"Not too different, see?" He moved their hands to rest over her own heart.

She listened for a moment and frowned, pulling the earpieces out and holding the stethoscope toward him. "It's hard being a human. It's all messy. I don't get it. Maybe I should have been a machine or something. Ooh, I could be a cool AI, like in the movies."

The Doctor took the stethoscope and shook his head. "You'll get there."

"Really?" She sounded so hopeful.

"Yeah, I've gotten to know you better, you're starting to get it, Gene...at least in my side of the timeline." He smiled and turned, looking at his screens to see how Gene's lungs looked. The poison that had been in her system was cleared and she certainly seemed alert.

"My life is so weird."

"Yup." The Doctor grinned.

"I blame you. It got weird after you showed up."

"I'm okay with that." He'd certainly been blamed (rightfully so) for far worse. "Alright, you can rest now, Gene."

"I'm safe?"

"Mmhm, and I'll be here to make sure you stay safe."

"Okay, g'night." She fell asleep almost instantly.

The Doctor walked forward and gently took her hand in his. He bowed his head over her and pressed a kiss to her hand. He cared deeply for her, and she hardly knew him. It was difficult, especially when all he wanted to do right now was hug her so he could know she was okay. She still seemed a bit distant though, as she had a while back. They were good friends and she didn't even know it...didn't even really know him. It was strange. He straightened a bit more and leaned over her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

He took a seat next to her, to make sure nothing bad happened. The more he sat there though, the more he seethed. That damn place had almost killed her, his friend. He'd already lost one friend and he'd never get to see her again, Rose was trapped forever. And now his...friend Gene had almost been lost too. That couldn't stand. He wasn't going to let this place continue to hurt people. They'd change or he'd ruin them.

Once she seemed to be in the clear, the Doctor headed to the console room. The Doctor found his sonic screwdriver by the base of the console, where he and Gene had been working on it and he moved the TARDIS. He needed to find the people who ran the University. If he couldn't talk sense into them, he'd stop them from hurting other people. He landed and checked the monitor to see if Gene was still alright. She was still sleeping in the medbay, her lips slightly parted, her face lolled to the side. Her heart rate and respiration looked good and he intended to make sure no one who threatened them would go unpunished. "I'll be back in a tick."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene woke up and found herself in the medbay. Her hair was still damp and she was in a tank top and her underwear, but thankfully the coat that was wrapped around her was huge and covered her likely see-through wet tank and the suit jacket tied around her waist was almost like a skirt on her. She shoved her arms into the sleeves of the coat and pulled the front around her. She took a breath through her nose and paused before she sniffed again. Her skin smelled horrific, like chemicals in the water she'd drowned in...but the coat. It smelled like petrichor, ozone, something like electricity, and something spicy. The spice wasn't like anything she'd smelled before, except for around the Doctor, it wasn't like any Earth spices not like cinnamon or nutmeg, but something similar to those. She wished she knew what it was because the smell was amazing. It was like a thunderstorm and spice. She took another whiff of it before trying to sit up. A sharp pain filled her chest and she gasped, leaning back down.

"In pain?"

She turned her head and saw the Doctor working on something, his back turned to her. "A little. Wasn't expecting it." She said, gritting her teeth and getting herself upright. She didn't want him to feel bad. He'd saved her life, the last thing he needed was guilt. He'd done the right thing. A couple ribs to save her life. It was sound math.

"Well, don't power through it. I've got something that can accelerate the healing process and some pain meds." He reached out to a shelf and he grabbed a syringe from a neat row and then searched through a drawer for the right vial. "It'll make you a bit loopy and probably make you pass out cold again."

"Oh, okay." Gene looked down at herself. "Could I...um...change first? It's not exactly comfortable in...this." She nodded down to the state of her clothing.

"Yes. You should be fine in your room now that the danger's over. I'll help you up." He helped her stand with his free hand and walked behind her, his hand on the small of her back to guide her. She made it to her room and opened her door. The Doctor followed her in and helped her open drawers, but walked away to let her choose her clothes.

"I'll be right back." She left with her clothes to her bathroom. She'd do a quick shower and get changed.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor leaned against a wall and looked around the room. It was strange. There were trinkets in the room from earlier, at least in his timeline, with a different Gene. The Gene with him now wasn't the friend he'd come to know over many travels, she was younger, new to all of it and still...stunted in a way. Sure, she was bright as ever, but this Gene had a flatter tone. She tried, really hard, to be warm and kind, but she hadn't made the turn yet, to truly getting it. It was like looking at someone who was half-complete.

But even like that, even half of who she was, he cared deeply about her. He was a wreck. He'd failed a friend and maybe Donna had been right that he shouldn't be alone. But, even though it still hurt to think of one of his many failings, having Gene around made the pain ease...and she wasn't even the Gene who was a close friend to him, this was a version who was still a bit lost...still so lonely and afraid.

He'd almost _lost_ her.

The very idea of that hurt, more than he cared to admit. He hadn't felt like that in a long time, that fear or worry. The last time he'd felt it... He took a sharp breath. He knew this feeling. All those stray thoughts about her being cute or funny or beautiful for the past few months...he'd had those thoughts before. He was nine hundred years old, of course he knew this feeling. But...was it real? It'd been so long since he'd last opened his hearts to love. His first love had died far too young and he'd tried to move on, really he had. And he'd loved people before and it had been beautiful. But it all ended the same way for him. He watched the people he loved die. Gene's clock was counting down. Where she was in her timeline now, she had a little under two years, but where he was with her...she had a little under a year and a half.

She was dead, like everyone else in history and he just kept going.

But her smile...her amazement, her brilliance, her kindness and understanding.

"Damnit." The Doctor whispered to the empty room. He was falling in love with Gene Cooper. It was doomed, of course, but every relationship he had would be. Hell, most Time Lords had their true mates, but his...God she'd died so young. Those relationships were meant to last the long slews of a Time Lord's life...a perfect match. But he lost that. It hurt, but love still existed. He'd fallen in love time and time again and it was worth it in the end, even with the pain of losing those he loved, the love itself was worth that pain.

He loved Gene Cooper, he burned places to the ground for daring to hurt her, and he'd try to find some happiness with her, some joy, if possible before the inevitable, horrible end. Of course, he had no clue how she felt about him. This would have to be something he pursued with the older Gene...and he'd just have to hope she felt something too. That part was nerve wracking. It was terrifying, that a woman he cared for might not care back for him. Time would tell, and at the very least he'd have a wonderful friend in her, that was damn sure.

The door to the bathroom opened and Gene stepped out, her hair wet, wearing a set of flannel pajamas. Her skin was pink and warm, a lovely contrast to the horrible colors it had turned earlier when she'd been drowned. "Sorry about your coat and suit, I got it covered in that stuff." She walked forward and held out his clothes.

"It's alright." The Doctor promised, taking the clothes and folding them over a chair by the desk. "Medicine?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Okay."

"Here, this one first. It'll make you a bit out of it, you might loose your filter, or your emotions might go a little weird, or you might just babble, it effects people differently." He held out the vial to her. "Good news, it tastes like jelly babies."

"What's a jelly baby?" Gene asked, taking the vial.

The Doctor put his hand to his chest. "Ow, my hearts. Don't ever say anything like that again. And you're having jelly babies once you get better."

"Whatever you say." She uncorked it and downed it in one go. "Huh, for medicine that tastes good." Then her nose wrinkled and she swayed on her feet. "Oh, I feel weird."

"Yup. It's kicking your body into overdrive, has a weird effect on humans, I've noticed." He'd used it on many people to help them heal quickly, humans always seemed to get the weirdest. They'd go all over the place emotionally and mentally, and physically they got squirmy, dizzy, and talked about being achy. It was to be expected, the drug effected the whole body, searching for what needed to be fixed. Gene swayed and the Doctor caught her when she nearly fell. "Nope, none of that, let's get you in bed."

"You should really buy a girl dinner first."

"Gene Cooper!" The Doctor very nearly blushed. It was really the medicine's doing, making her brain do weird things.

"Isn't that the saying?"

"Yes, but...never thought I'd hear that come from you." Not the shy girl in front of him. "Here you go." He pulled her covers back and helped her into bed. "Nice and easy." He gently pulled her blankets over her again.

"It's okay, I know you won't take advantage of me."

"I'm glad you trust me that far." The Doctor scoffed. Lord, this girl was really out of her head. Of course he wouldn't. He'd never hurt anyone like that. Sure, he'd done monstrous things before, but not _that_. Not ever. "May I have your arm?"

"Why?" Gene asked, looking a bit afraid.

"I have some pain meds for you. It'll probably put you to sleep and make the healing process pretty painless."

"I have nightmares when I sleep. I don't want to sleep." Gene shook her head. Her eyes were watering in fear.

The Doctor frowned. He knew she didn't sleep well, but she'd never told him the contents of her nightmares. He hoped they weren't too bad. "It'll be alright. I'm sure you won't have nightmares."

She shook her head rapidly and tried to squirm away, grimacing in pain as she did.

The Doctor put the needle into his pocket and raised his hands. He'd have to approach drugged Gene differently than a normal Gene. "Look, no medicine...can we talk?"

"Okay."

Her out of character behavior would be funny if she didn't look so scared. "You'll be okay. You trust me right?"

"I don't know you very well." Gene shook her head. "I know the other one pretty well, the blue-eyed one...but you're different from him. And you're different from the green-eyed one too."

"Green-eyed?" The Doctor asked, his nose wrinkling.

"He was weird...but he helped my headache go away."

"Headache?" The Doctor asked. She'd complained about headaches before, but she usually walked away promptly and hid herself during the duration. He'd have to look into that when he saw her again.

"I get bad ones. I don't know how he did it. He didn't have medicine or anything and doctors tried for years and years, but they couldn't fix it."

"What sort of headaches are they?"

"They make me want to die. I wanna claw my brain out."

That was a disturbing picture. It sounded like cluster headaches. Now that he thought of it, her biography mentioned she'd suffered from headaches...some even thought that she'd been having a migraine on the day she died...witnesses said she looked to be in pain, unfocused before she stepped into the road... He shivered. He'd have to see if he could find what was causing them. Perhaps his older self had. Maybe if he could fix them...then maybe she wouldn't have the one that got her killed...but he couldn't change time like that, could he? No. But he wanted to, badly.

"But he fixed one. I don't know how." Gene said. "It was nice of him. You're all very different."

"That's how it works, but at the core we're the same...ish."

"Yeah..."

"I won't hurt you, you know that? It's just to make you feel better." He gently reached out.

She pulled away. "I don't like people touching me."

Part of him was really worried about that. From what he'd read of her life he couldn't find a history of assault, physical or sexual, but she pulled away from people like they'd beat her to hell and back. But, her biography had been written by her sister and her sister's husband...perhaps they didn't know. She'd been just a baby when she'd been dropped at the orphanage, but...perhaps her birth parents had abused her. Trauma like that could stick around in the subconscious...maybe that was the explanation. "I won't hurt you." The Doctor repeated it, a promise he hoped he could keep.

She looked up suddenly and her eyes shot around. "Can you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The _screaming."_ She squirmed and frowned, trying to cover her ears. "It aches."

Hallucinations were **_NOT_** normal with this medicine, the pain, however, was normal. "You can hear screaming?"

"Just like with my headaches." Gene nodded as tears fell down her cheeks.

"I can make it stop for now, do you want that?"

"Mm-hm." Gene nodded again.

"Alright." He gently took her arm and wiped it down. He grabbed the syringe only after everything necessary was done, because he didn't want her to pull away. "Just a quick pinch and you'll start feeling better."

Gene was shaking, but didn't pull away. She cried and gave in, like she had no choice. "Bad things in needles. It'll hurt again."

"Not in this one, nothing bad at all, I promise." The Doctor had a doctorate in many things and yeah, he had experience in medicine, enough to help her, but he'd never really had to deal with something like this. "There you go, all done, see? Easy." He put a bandage over the small hole in her arm. "You're alright."

She shook her head and pulled her arm away. "You'll hurt me too...like them?"

"Like who?"

"The people in the dark." That face was not the face of a child afraid of the boogeyman. That voice was not some little girl's voice. She spoke and looked like a woman who was haunted by something real and terrifying. But...she didn't talk about this before. Somehow the medicine had gotten to her and brought up these images... Did she have missing memories that she was getting access too because the medicine was altering her mind? "They come in the dark and then there's screaming, so much screaming."

The Doctor didn't like that at all. Had someone been hurting Gene? What was locked away in her mind that was causing all these fears and anxieties? She had a very advanced, special mind. Anyone with the ability to tap into that kind of genius might try to... What if the threat wasn't in the past? What if it was current? People trying to take her genius then leaving her with half-known memories of the pain? "Hey, you're going to be fine, tomorrow you won't even remember this, just lay on back. You sleep and you'll feel better." He ran his fingers through her hair until her body finally went lax with sleep. He frowned and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

No, these feelings weren't one of friendship, they were growing to be something more.

He needed to get some information. He hated doing it, it was a breech of privacy...but she was hurting, deeply. He needed to find the wound. He put his hands on her temples. He was looking for one thing, someone hurting her, any evidence of abuse. He found bullies, all of them older than her, because she'd been in classes years advanced. A good chunk of her childhood she'd been the smallest and they'd pushed her over, but there was nothing to do with darkness or needles, and her parents had put a stop to the bullying quickly.

He searched further back, trying to find any evidence of something happening to her... Then he found her earliest memory, one he doubted even she could even remember.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

_Gene cried, screaming, in agony and confused. Screaming, screaming in so much pain. Someone was holding her in place even though she wanted to squirm away from all the pain, but someone was holding her still, not letting her go._

_"Sh, sh." Someone shushed as the pain suddenly ended. Gene cried, but now she was just confused. Why was she crying? It was all very confusing. Something lifted off her head and she looked up at the young woman who was holding her. Gene kicked her feet. The young woman leaned down, her lips brushing Gene's forehead. "Sh, baby girl, it's okay. Just an owie. We kissed it and made it all better, see?" The young woman had bronze hair and green eyes and her voice had a northern accent to it._

_"En, is she alright?" A man's voice asked._

_"I think so. She was crying horribly. Those sounds...oh my God, did we hurt her...you know...worse?"_

_"We had to, En." New hands found Gene and pulled her close to a warm chest. She looked up at the man who had light brown hair. "You have everything, E?"_

_"Yes...but I still don't like it. Why can't we just-?"_

_"We can't keep her. We aren't fit to. You know it. This is the only way."_

_The woman sniffled. "I can't do this. I can't."_

_Suddenly, Gene was pressed between two bodies. "I hate it too." There was a kissing sound. "Let's go." There was the sound of footsteps across dirt. "E, please don't cry."_

_"I can't help it. How are you holding up? How can **YOU** be so calm?"_

_"Because I have to be." The man answered. "I don't have the **luxury** to fall apart if you are. Only one of us can lose our heads. So it's my job to be the calm one now." The sound of another kiss. "Come on."_

_"Can't we take her inside at least, please?"_

_"They can't see us here, put the blanket down."_

_"Please." The woman was openly sobbing._

_"No. Put on a brave face, Enya. I thought you'd keep your head...color me surprised." The man lowered Gene and she felt cold. She whimpered and wriggled. "It's okay." He wrapped her up expertly. "You'll be alright." He held up something shiny above her. "See this? I just etched it. It says Gene, that's your name. I'm sorry, but this is the only thing we can leave with you, to stay with you. But I'm positive you'll find a good family and you'll be safe. I promise." The handsome young man leaned forward and kissed her forehead._

_The crying woman bent down next. "I love you. I'm so sorry." She kissed her forehead. "Love you."_

_"Come on, En." The man pulled her away from Gene. Then they left into the cold night, without knocking on the door or pressing the doorbell._

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor drew his hands away. He'd seen Gene's parents. He didn't mean to, it was invasive, especially since Gene herself had no clue who they were. But, he knew now she had been in terrible pain, from what, he couldn't tell. But she had suffered at a young age...perhaps that explained her aversion to touch. "I'm sorry, Gene." He pulled his hands away from her. The upside, was that her parents hadn't seemed to want to give her up. Her mother, certainly, had been broken up. Her father, though he kept a stern voice, had tears in his eyes when he'd left her. "Sorry, that was private."

He lifted his sonic screwdriver over her head and scanned. The sonic reported nothing out of the ordinary. She had a healthy mind. The headaches were unexplained. He couldn't understand why she'd have such horrible headaches. He'd figured out how to help them at some point down the line though, so he'd get there eventually. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The Doctor was angry with himself. He thought he could help her and instead he got too much personal information from her. She'd told him she didn't want to know, that she didn't care to know about those who abandoned her on a step in the cold. But he'd gone in and dug that memory out, a memory she probably didn't even know she had. How would he tell her that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love.


	12. Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. I get to have Jack back soon. I like writing Jack. :)

They were out on a planet with pink sand and gold trees. Gene loved the colors, though it was a bit hot. Still, she wasn't really up for a swim in the green waters because...well, drowning was fresh in her mind, even after a few weeks. "Sheesh, could we stop in the shade?"

"How about some food?"

"Deal. It's like Death Valley here. Beautiful though."

"That it is." The Doctor agreed, pulling open a door for her. "After you."

"Thank you." She said, walking into the restaurant. There were no tables, only chairs. She looked to the Doctor, who instantly walked her over to a pair of chairs.

"Just seat ourselves then."

They chatted and food was brought out to them. The Doctor looked...upset in a way that Gene couldn't identify. She took another sip of the peach colored aziku juice. It was refreshing, which was odd because it was a little bit sour. She took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. She wasn't great with these things. "Are you alright?"

"What? Me?"

"Yes. You."

"I'm, well, I'm fine." The Doctor said.

Gene put her strangely shaped fork down on the leaf that served as her plate. "I have a distinct feeling that you're lying. You've been acting weird since the University, it's been almost three weeks."

The Doctor sighed and lowered his head. "I did something I'm not proud of."

"By destroying the school?"

"No, that was justified. Besides, I didn't destroy it, I just...may have broken their technology so that the couldn't use people's brains to run their research anymore and I put better people in control."

"I have a feeling you're dodging. I would know, I love to dodge emotions." Gene said, taking a bite of her food.

The Doctor bit his lip. "I have to level with you. I've wanted to, but...I didn't know how."

"What happened?"

"I may have took a peak inside your head."

Gene froze. What did that even mean? "What?"

"I, um...the Time Lords, they're mildly telepathic." The Doctor folded his hands and leaned forward. "You were very upset, when I gave you medicine to help your ribs. You seemed to be hallucinating and under duress. Some of the things you were saying seemed like they were very real to you. You seemed to be worried that I'd hurt you because someone already had."

"So you read my mind?" Gene asked, trying to remain calm, but it felt like a violation.

"I was worried you might've been hurt and I didn't want to cause you any more pain and if I was able to I would've liked to...stop those who did hurt you." The Doctor shook his head. "There are beings in the universe that can torture people and leave no trace. I just wanted to make sure nothing was after your head. I mean, given how brilliant you are, I could see you being a target for some who'd want information. I've seen it before, they do things that hurt people to get what they want and then they skip out leaving the victim none the wiser, but the pain subconsciously remains. I wanted to make sure that wasn't happening."

"And what did you find, huh? Because let me tell you, years in therapy, two neurosurgeons, and three hypnotists couldn't figure it out. Sometimes nightmares are just nightmares."

"Or aliens. I just wanted to make sure nothing had...hurt you. I'm sorry. I really am sorry."

Gene sat up straight. He wasn't sorry about checking on her, she could tell that in his posture. He was sorry about what he saw. "What did you see? Because you're the Doctor. I don't know you great, but I know enough about you that you break rules if you think you're doing the right thing, if you think you can help. You're not sorry about what you did, so what did you see?"

The Doctor leaned back in his chair and looked pale as if he'd been struck. "I'm so sorry."

"You saw my parents, didn't you?"

The Doctor's jaw shifted. "Yes. I saw them...that night."

Gene felt anger, white-hot anger for the first time in her life. She couldn't even remember her parents, how were those two even in her memories? She didn't want them in there, they'd left her alone and cold on a step in the middle of December. She'd never looked at the inside of her locket (though she somehow couldn't bare to toss it into the ocean and let it drown) because she just didn't want to. And here he was, knowing her past. She wanted to shout at him or slap him. Instead, she rose quickly and threw her plate and wooden fork away before walking back for the TARDIS.

She didn't know how to handle this much anger or emotion. She'd never had to before. Why did it hurt so much? Why couldn't he have just asked or left her alone? She was under the influence of drugs for God's sake when she'd mentioned these things that 'concerned' him, he should have let it go. He should have asked for fucking permission. Now she had to deal with all these tricky emotions.

The curiosity, the mystery of her parents. The anger she had towards them. The worthlessness thinking of them brought on. The violation of having her thoughts stolen from her without her consent. The betrayal of it all. Her brain could handle massive equations. She could do in her head what most people needed calculators and time to do, but emotions short circuited her in nearly an instant.

She walked through the sand toward the TARDIS, shoved the door open and headed instantly for her room, not sure whether she wanted to cry or scream and not sure either option was appropriate.

The Doctor knew who her parents were. There was that sting of betrayal again. She huffed and looked to the side. Hanging over the end of her bed was the blue dress with the tags on it. If the Doctor could run from his problems. Maybe she could too. She just, couldn't deal with all of this. It was too much at once and she was angry and she hated being angry. She walked to the bed and grabbed the dress. She changed back into it and smoothed it out, putting her shoes on. Then she walked back to the console room. 

The Doctor was entering the door. He paused and looked at her. "You changed clothes."

"Nice observation." Gene bit her lip. She didn't want to explode on him, but she felt so much inside. Part of her knew he meant well, part of her was just pissed. "I haven't bought this dress yet."

Understanding dawned on the Doctor's face. "Gene...I really am sorry. I..."

"I want to go home. I need...time."

"Gene-"

"I'm fucking angry! And I don't want to be angry! I like things in control, manageable! This is..." She took a deep breath. "Just...let me go home." She said, giving him the date, time, and exact coordinators of where he needed to go.

The Doctor paled and nodded. "Of course." He walked forward and began to work across the console with none of his usual upbeat movements.

The TARDIS landed and Gene headed for the door. "Thank you."

"Gene, wait."

"I don't want to talk right now." Gene left the TARDIS and pulled the curtain, stepping out of the dressing room the TARDIS was parked in.

"No, wait, Gene." 

A hand grabbed her by her wrist. Gene's jaw clenched and she turned, glaring at the Doctor. "Let. Go."

"Let me please explain. I just wanted to help. I was worried about you."

"Then you should have talked to me."

"Well, you're not always forthcoming."

"Oh, thanks a lot. Now let go of me."

"That came out wrong and I'm sorry. So sorry."

"I don't want your apologies. I want you to let me go and let me fucking deal with this."

"Then talk to me, we can figure it out."

"No, you don't understand. Me and emotions are like oil and water. I need time and you will just make it worse. Back off."

The Doctor frowned, looking defeated. "Sorry... I'll go." He let go of her, pulled the curtain to the side and looked back to her. "I really am sorry."

The worst part was, Gene knew he was sorry. She heard the TARDIS dematerialize and she wiped her eyes. All the emotions were coming out in tears. She turned, which dressing room had been hers? 

"Gene?"

She sniffled and turned, looking at her sister. "Hey." She hadn't seen her sister in a month and yet, here she was not gone for a second.

"They didn't have that one in a smaller size, but I don't think it matters... I um, really like the blue one on you."

"Thanks. I like it too. I think I'll get it."

"Cool. How about lunch?"

Gene had just eaten some and she really wasn't all too hungry at the moment. But sitting with her sister, breathing, relaxing, it might help. "Sure. I'll buy."

"No, it's on me today." Emily said, looking at her as if she knew some sort of secret.

"Right, I'll just get changed and then we can check out."

"Perfect." Emily nodded. "I really do like the dresses on you."

"Thanks."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene pushed her curry around in her bowl with her spoon. It smelled deliscious, but she just couldn't eat it.

"So, are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?" Emily asked.

Gene jumped. "Huh?"

"Usually, you've eaten all the naan before I can have some, and you have had naan today. Pun intended." Emily frowned.

"I guess I'm not really hungry."

"Bullshit." Emily huffed. "Look, I'm your sister. I've known you since before you could add numbers like a calculator. I have stuck through shit with you even when we didn't get along. I know when you're upset, and you have been acting off for a few months."

Gene shrugged.

"What else can I say? Like the guy who showed up at our apartment, holding you like you were a precious bubble. To the guy in the dressing room."

"You heard that?" Gene paled.

"Yeah. What is my little sister doing in a dressing room with some random guy? And you were fighting... What's going on with you?"

She looked down. "I've...been trying to get better about socializing."

"Dating?"

"No. He's...they're just friends." Gene had to speak about them like they were different, which was weird.

"Well, that first guy looked at you...weird. And that guy in the dressing room... You like him."

"What?"

"You only get angry when you care. I've never seen anyone rattle you that you didn't care about. I mean, I didn't think you were capable of being angry until you like...fifteen, then we had that huge blow out. The first time I saw you sad was when mom and dad died... Sure, you were scared and happy and all these things, but you're unflappable unless you care. So you care about him, maybe you're telling the truth and he's not a boyfriend, but you care. So what the fuck did he do to you so I know how hard to hit him?"

Gene bit her lip and looked down. "He wasn't trying to be mean or anything, I don't think." How could she explain this without going into the whole 'time travel, aliens, and mind reading' thing? "Um...he tried looking into my parents. Thought it'd be helpful for me to know."

"He was researching you birth parents?"

"He said he found them." It was sort of true, he'd at least seen their faces, judging by his words. Given the Doctor's skillset, he probably could find her parents based on just that memory.

"Ah, so that's what has you so angry." Emily nodded. "That's always been a touchy subject with you."

"He thought it might help...but I'm angry and I don't deal well with that."

Emily reached out and grabbed Gene's hand. "Sweetie... Want to go to the gym and punch something? It could be constructive for you. You need an outlet for the feels."

"That actually sounds cool." Gene agreed. Maybe she could get it out that way. She hated being angry. This way she could get into shape, work out the aggression, and feel better all in one go.

"Alright, girl, let's go."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene threw punches at the bag, sweat dewed her skin. She was glad that her headphones stayed in her ears, even while she moved. Most people probably listened to upbeat or rocky music as they hit a punching bag or ran or lifted weights, but she always listened to classical music as loud as possible. She sighed after a last punch, her arms tired. She slowly began to unwrap the tape from around her knuckles, then took her earbuds out.

"Feeling any better?"

"Yeah... I feel clearer headed, but tired."

"And that means you'll feel great tomorrow." Emily high-fived her. "Work out today, feel great tomorrow."

"Arms hurt today."

"That's because you've not been working out with me like usual."

That was partially true. Gene usually went out and worked out with her sister three times a week. Emily usually picked it, spin class, yoga, boxing, Pilates, weight lifting... Gene hadn't been doing as much of the working out, but she had been doing a hell of a lot of cardio running with the Doctor. "Yeah, I'd like to do some more."

Gene headed to the locker room and got changed, grabbed her bag and headed back out to meet with her sister. As they were heading for the door a young African American man strode up to them.

"Hey, I saw you over there and I've seen you around here a bit. I like your style. Maybe want to go out sometime, get to know each other?"

Gene didn't look up. She was used to it. Her sister was a bombshell. She just was waiting for her sister to do the usual 'I'm dating a screenwriter, sorry' speech. Instead, Gene caught an elbow to her side. "What?"

"He was talking to you, Gene."

Gene looked up at the tall man. "Me?"

The man ran a hand through his hair almost nervously. "Yeah, you. Gene?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Marcus. Wanna, exchange numbers?"

"Um...I..."

"She'd love to, Marcus." Emily grinned before spouting off Gene's number.

The man grinned and smiled shyly at Gene. "Cool." He said tapping the number into his phone, then typing some more. "Just hit me up and we'll hang out."

"Sure." Gene said as her phone went off in her pocket, likely a text from Marcus. She smiled back, not really knowing what else to do.

"See you 'round, Gene." He winked and headed out.

Gene whirled on Emily. "You've betrayed me."

"Nope, you said you weren't dating and you need to get out there. You are a beautiful, smart, talented girl and you deserve friends and dates."

"You're right about the former, not sure about the latter." Gene sighed and picked up her phone, reading the text.

'Hey, Jean, nice to meet you today. This is Marcus. Any time you wanna chat, just hit me up.'

Gene was used to people spelling her name wrong, it wasn't typical for people to spell their name the way her's was. "I cannot believe it."

"Believe what?" Emily asked.

"Well, usually they're asking you out."

"Girl, you're adorable. And he had a nice ass, he works it out, you should definitely talk to him."

"And convince him that I'm dull as a brick?" Gene frowned.

Emily wrapped her arm around her. "You're not dull. You're going to chat him up and you'll be on a date in no time." She stretched. "Okay, let's get home, I'm hungry."

Gene laughed. "Alright, but if you're going to shove me into this, you better be teaching me how to do this whole texting and dating thing."

"Deal, but only if you make the good chicken for dinner."

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love.


	13. The Songbird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gene makes a new friend in this chapter. I own none of the music mentioned in here, but they're all pretty to listen to.  
> Stay safe everyone and try to help each other out. Things are looking a bit bleak in the real world, but it's a storm, all storms end.

On occasion, Gene could pull some strings. Like...having a performance hall all to herself. She liked the quiet and the acoustics. It was her favorite place to perform music and her favorite place to compose. She put the lights on dimly. She had access to the piano and the sounds were just nicer than anywhere else. The hall was built to make the loveliest sounds possible.

Gene played a few notes, and then wrote them down as she tried to put to music some of the conflicting feelings she had. Music was easier. But still, how did you create music that related to traveling in space and time and all the overwhelming things that came with it? She put her pencil down and lifted her violin again. She tried to play something more, but it wasn't right. She huffed out a sigh. She needed to play something else to clear her head.

She walked forward onto the stage and sat on the edge, her feet dangling of the edge. She lifted her violin and bow. She played the first song that came to mind. Zigeunerweisen began to sound through the hall and she closed her eyes, relaxing. After a few moments, she could swear she heard the piano line join her. She opened her eyes and stopped playing, turning to look at the piano.

A young woman with brown hair and eyes was at the piano. She wore fashion-forward clothes and looked very comfortable at the piano. There was a heart-shaped locket around her neck. She had a lean build, and appeared quite tall for a woman, close to six feet tall, in fact. She looked up and smiled at Gene. "We could keep playing, maybe?" The young woman hadn't stopped playing.

Gene stood up and nodded. She walked forward and raised her bow, joining the younger woman. She swayed with the music and closed her eyes. Gene liked playing with others. There was a push and pull to it. A good musician could keep up with that, notice the changes. Gene intentionally drew out a note and the young woman followed. This young woman was very good. Maybe even better than Gene.

Gene smiled and drew out another note, then shifted entirely to a different song with a different key, tempo, and time signature. The girl didn't miss a single beat. When that song finished, Gene lowered her bow and looked at the young woman.

"You're _amazing!"_ The woman grinned, getting up from her bench. "I mean, I knew you were, but you're absolutely wonderful. I've missed-um... I've missed playing with someone so skilled."

"You're better than me, much better." Gene smiled and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Gene Cooper."

"Sophia Smith. You can call me Sophie-everyone does." She grinned. "I'm sorry for interrupting, I just heard the music and...well it's a siren song to me."

"Well, you have amazing talent. You're brilliant."

"My dad called me his Songbird." Sophia blushed. "That's a beautiful violin. Might I try?"

"Of course." Gene held it out to her. It was strange. She didn't often like to share her personal violin, but she handed it right over to this young woman, like it was second nature. Weird.

"I'm partial to Lindsey Stirling, you know? My mother used to talk about her music. I've always liked it. Do you know any?"

Gene nodded and sat at the piano. It wasn't her preferred instrument, but she could play. "I can muddle through. What song do you like?"

"Lost Girls. Do you know it? Mum taught me that one when I was younger."

'Mum?' Gene wondered, but then nodded. "I've heard it maybe twice. How does it start?"

Sophia began to hum and the humming was familiar, instantly recognizable. "It starts with the piano. Light and sort of airy."

"Got it." Gene nodded, then began to play.

Sophia watched, raised her bow and joined...while dancing.

Gene couldn't help but watch the Sophia play. She obviously loved music and was truly gifted at it. 

When the song ended, the young woman looked so happy. "My lord, this instrument is amazing! It's beautiful. Oh...what a lovely thing."

"You dance really well."

"Well, you can't play Stirling and stand still." She grinned. She was moving with energy, almost bouncing up and and down. She bounded forward and put the violin down reverently on the piano. "You're very good."

"Not as good as you." Gene admitted.

"Oh, don't sell yourself short." Sophia protested with a wave of her hand.

"There's no shame in admitting someone is better than you at something. It's a fact. Your technique alone, your abilities, it's very clear."

"I wasn't playing anything too difficult though." Sophia shrugged.

"A good musician can prove their worth on the simplest song if you know what to look for." Gene shrugged. "Who taught you?"

"Well...my mother. I grew to adore music because of her. We used to play together a lot. Then..." Sophia frowned and touched the violin gently. "She had an accident, you see? I was...pretty young and... Well, she hasn't been able to play since." Gene winced at the thought of a musician that could no longer play, that had to be devastating. "I've missed playing with someone so talented. It was really nice to be able to play with you. I'd heard Gene Cooper played here sometimes, but I didn't know it was true."

"You know me?" Gene asked.

"Of course." Sophia beamed. "You're Gene Cooper. Everyone who studies music knows you. Your performance of the Partitia No. 1 was inspirational. You were, what, sixteen? Playing on the biggest stage in Los Angeles. It was beautiful. Grown men wept, and any musician in their right mind would have sold their soul to preform half as well as you."

Gene blushed. "It wasn't that extraordinary."

"But it was beautiful. I've always wanted to play like you."

"Well, you're better than me." Gene admitted.

Sophie brightened and looked genuinely happy. "Thank you. Would you mind it very much if we played again, together?"

"No, I'd love to."

"I'll fetch my violin." She looked ecstatic as she ran off stage. She came back with an oddly familiar case.

Gene had seen that case before. And when Sophia opened it, she realized where. Inside there was a Stradivarius, a beautiful, well-maintained Stradivarius. Gene had seen that instrument before, it had been older, a bit more worn, but Gene had played that instrument while traveling with the Doctor. That instrument, some time in the future, ended up on another planet. "That's...a beautiful violin."

The young woman looked at it proudly. "My father got it for me."

"You have a very generous father." Gene said in surprise.

"Oh, he spoiled me rotten, that's for sure." Sophia smiled, then her face fell. "I wish..."

"What is it?" Gene asked, seeing the way the girl had turned suddenly somber.

"You might understand... My father, he never got to know me, not my birth father. By no fault of his, of course. He died before I was born. Mum...remarried. I love my father, I really do, he is so kind, he loves me so much, and spoils me, I think to make up for me not knowing my birth father...but he always treats me like I'm his own. I just always wanted to meet my birth father. I've heard so many stories about him. My older brother grew up with him, said he was a brilliant father. I wish I could tell him I was alright, that I was happy and safe and loved. He would've wanted to know that." She wiped a tear from her face. "If only we could go back in time, right?"

Gene felt pain in her heart. She wished she could bring this young woman with her to the TARDIS, show her to her father. Gene couldn't have that, no. She was too angry, to bitter, to hurt by purposeful abandonment. But this woman wanted nothing more than to meet her father who'd been stolen from her by death. That was different, that was heartbreaking. "I'm sorry." Even though she felt some anger still toward the Doctor for how he'd handled her parental situation...she wanted nothing more than to somehow grab his attention and help this young woman find her father.

"It's no one's fault. He was a noble man. He just wanted to save a life, ended up losing his." She frowned. "Can't go back now, you know?" She sighed. "There's a song I play for him. Could I maybe play it? I'm feeling a bit...sad now."

"Of course."

Sophia walked forward and lifted her violin. "Follow and join, if you like. It's called The Greatest Story Never Told."

Gene didn't dare play as the young woman poured her soul out with her violin. She sat in awe of the young woman who clearly had such a big, kind heart. The music was lovely, longing, heartbreaking, but hopeful too. Gene had never heard something so wonderful, so full of emotion. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the sound.

Sophia finished the song and smiled. "You know, when I think about it, he'd be happy. Mum always said he loved me so much. He'd be happy to know the family's safe and loved."

"That was beautiful." Gene whispered.

"Thank you." Sophia looked at the composition on the piano. "What is this, then?" She wondered. "What are you writing this for?"

"Oh, something I've been working on recently. I've been trying to describe awe and confusion in music." Gene frowned.

"Then focus on one thing at a time. That's how I was taught to approach it. Take one thing that you know is real and play it."

"But I don't know how I feel." When she thought of her travels, instead of grasping the awe, she'd noticed some anger slipping though, and it was tainting the music.

Sophia grinned and grabbed Gene's violin and held it out to her. "You know exactly how you feel, just play. I'll write."

"Okay..." Gene took her violin and closed her eyes.

"Just play, Gene Cooper. Trust me."

So Gene played and a song unfolded, almost without her permission. Bittersweet, full of hope and possibility and fear. She finished the song and looked at Sohpia. "That was amazing."

"Best way to compose, I've found. I just sorta play until it's all out." Sophia answered, finishing the sheet music with two bars. "Now, you have something to work with. It's a base. You can make anything out of that now." She nodded down to the sheet music.

"Thank you. It was frustrating me." Gene nodded.

"I'm glad to help." Sophia smiled. She did that a lot. She smiled often and genuinely, the way an enthusiastic and happy person would. Strange how she had so many deep emotions, yet she still seemed to exude this overwhelming joy.

Gene quite liked her energy. "So, what're you doing here?"

"Well, I heard you like to use the hall from a friend of mine. I thought if there was a chance to meet the great Gene Cooper, then I should take it." 

"I'm not really great, but thanks anyways." Gene chuckled.

Sophia touched her hand. "Don't doubt yourself. You've inspired a lot of people with your music."

"And you will with yours. I'm surprised...I haven't heard of you." Gene commented.

Sophia frowned. "Yeah, I get terrible stage fright. I don't know what it is, can't play on a stage. Street corners, parks, you name it, I'm fine, but put me on a stage and I lose my cool." She shrugged. "I don't really want the fame though. I'm happier playing for the common people...just helping them get through their day to day. Music is powerful that way. A song can change everything."

"That's true. I'm not much for a stage either." Gene agreed. "But you played on a stage just now."

"Well, it was now or never. Had to impress Gene Cooper while I could." She laughed. "No use hurling in a can when I could be playing with you."

Gene shook her head. "Would it help if I told you I've been sick before every public performance my whole life?"

"Yeah...actually that does help. Who knew?" Sophia sat down on the stage.

Gene joined her and they spoke, chit-chatting about music and instruments they could play, ones they couldn't, and ones they really wanted to learn. Sophia, it seemed, couldn't play woodwind instruments to save her life, but wanted to learn the saxophone. Gene had never been able to wrap her head around the wrist movements of a drummer, but she wanted to learn how to play the snare drum. 

"Oh, I love playing the drums!" Sophia giggled. "I think I learnt percussion from my father. He adores the triangle, not much more he can do beside that though. He really doesn't have much in the way of musical talent." 

"Did your birth father?"

"No. I got my looks from him, though. Got the talent from my mum." She smiled.

"You're a beautiful girl."

"My dad was a beautiful man, even I know that. Won the lottery though, good genes on both sides. Mum and Dad are both gorgeous. Funny, both me and my older brother took after Dad. Mum says so."

"You call her Mum?" It didn't make sense. She had a perfect American accent, but she didn't call her mother 'Mom' she called her 'Mum.'

"Habit I picked up from my dad." She shrugged.

Gene's phone went off. She pulled it out of her pocket. It was a text from Marcus, asking her out for dinner. She blushed. No one had ever asked her out before. No one had seemed to like her once they got to know her. Wow...two people in one day. Sophia seemed to like her and now she's got a possible date. Miracles do happen.

"What is that? A booooooy?" Sophia asked playfully.

"Oh, um, yeah. I got asked out to dinner."

"Aw, awesome! By who?" She asked with an infectious joy.

"His name's Marcus."

"Marcus, huh?" Sophia butted in with a puzzled look on her face. "What's he like?"

"Well, he seems nice. I've only met him once at the gym. My sister says I should, you know, socialize more. He seems nice enough over text. I just..."

"Just what?" Sophia looked concerned.

"I'm not good with people. Maybe I shouldn't go."

"What? What? Wait, no. You need to go."

"Why?" Gene asked, shaking her head.

"Because, you deserve to be happy, just like everyone else. And to be happy you have to give yourself the chance to be. So try." Sophia nodded and looped her arm in Gene's. "Trust me, you deserve happiness, everyone does. So give it a try. It's okay to be scared and all that, just try. If this one's a dud you can always try again. It's just important to keep trying."

"So you think I should text back?"

"Definitely." She grinned. "Go ahead."

Gene sighed and sent an affirmative text. "I instantly regretted that."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. You'll be fine." Sophia grinned. "And..." She scanned Gene with her eyes. "Wear blue, it really suits you."

"Odd, you're not the first to say that."

"And I probably won't be the last." She shrugged. "Have fun, take chances, run around, explore. Life's full of stuff and you don't get that by sitting around."

"True." Gene nodded. A door opened in the hall and a young man walked forward.

"Sophia!"

"Oh no..." Sophia whispered, jumping to her feet.

"What's wrong?" Gene asked as she got up.

Sophia quickly put her violin and bow into her case and then began to close it, frantically. "I um...may have snuck away from my brother. He'll be pissed."

"He doesn't...hurt you does he?" Gene whispered, not looking at the man who was storming forward.

"Oh! Heaven's no. He's just really protective. And I'm known to be a little...well, 'ditsy' is the kind word for it."

"Sophia." The man jumped up onto the stage. "What are you doing her-?" Then he paused. He looked between Gene and Sophia. "Sophia... What are you _doing?"_

"Playing music with my new friend."

"You wandered off, I was worried about you. So was our little sister."

"Oh..." Sophia looked a bit upset. "Um, am I late? I'm sorry, I just... We were playing music. And she reminds me of when I could play with Mum."

The young man with dark blonde hair and brown eyes looked familiar to Gene. But she'd never seen him, she didn't think. He was probably in his mid thirties, where Sophia looked to be in her early twenties. He really had gotten to grow up with the father his little sister hadn't gotten to meet. He frowned. "I'm sorry, sis. But we really do have to go. You shouldn't have snuck off, Soph."

"But I always do. It's part of my charm."

He laughed. "Yeah, that's true. They always say the middle one's _trouble."_

"Yeah, well they've got it wrong, because they haven't met you or Sis."

He huffed and rolled his eyes before ruffling her hair. "You play innocent, but you're a troublemaker too, don't deny it, Songbird." He turned and looked at Gene. "Nice to meet you, I'm sorry if she bothered you. She likes to invite herself in sometimes."

"She didn't bother me at all. I really liked talking to her and playing with her. Sophia's very talented."

"Oh, stop, you'll make her blush." He smiled as he pulled Sophia against him, gently kissing her forehead. "Soph, we need to go. Family night and all that."

"Do you think I could...?"

The man frowned. "No. Again, I say: _no."_

Sophia sniffled and nodded. "Okay. I just thought..."

"I know. But hey, you, me, and sis. How about we go out, grab a bite and then meet Mum and Dad?"

Sophia smiled. "Yeah, sounds good." She turned and grinned at Gene. "I hope we can play again some day. Who knows? I might just break in while you're here. We'd play a nice duet together, I think. Perhaps a sonata for two violins."

"I'd love to." Gene nodded.

"Then I'll try to find you again."

"And I'll keep composing here." Gene promised.

The girl grinned and threw her arms around Gene.

Gene felt a bit uncomfortable, but patted the girl's back gently.

"See ya. And have fun on your date!" Sophia called, before grabbing her brother's hand. "Come on! We have places to be."

"Oh, _now_ you're eager, slowpoke."

"Shut up!" Sophia cheered as they continued onwards and out of the hall.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene looked down at the music in her hand as she sat on the subway. It was nicely done, written exactly as she'd played it. That girl, Sophia, had been a genius. She really did hope they could meet up again. Curiously, Gene pulled out her phone and looked the woman up.

Sophia Smith

It was odd. The young woman didn't have any form of social media, but there were a few pictures of her and posts about her. She was seen in parks and impoverished nations or places struggling with natural disasters. And in each place she was playing an instrument with a smile and everyone around her was smiling too, even in bad situations. She was a good person on top of it, kind and generous.

Gene smiled. The traveling had helped a little bit. Maybe she was learning to talk to people better. She'd sort of made a friend. She got off at her station and walked home. She walked past an empty parking lot and crossed the street to her apartment, slipping her key out of her pocket and heading in. She went to her room and pulled all the dresses she had out of her closet, because the place Marcus had invited her to was fancy. What should she wear? She had no clue how to do any of this.

"Well...Sophia said she liked the blue..." Gene shrugged and grabbed the blue dress. She needed to get ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.


	14. The Blue One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gene just wanted to feel normal for a day. That didn't happen.

Marcus was actually really nice and startlingly understanding. Gene had explained that she wasn't great at socializing and he'd taken it in stride, talking about his struggle with depression and how he wasn't always great at being social. It was...nice to not be called a freak because she didn't know what to say. Maybe Emily and Sophia had been right about her needing to go out. And the restaurant was lovely, on the fifteenth floor of a building in the middle of LA. The lights below looked amazing. She had even managed to hold it together on the elevator, only to preserve her face in front of the young man who'd invited her out.

"So what are you working on? You live in the creativity hub of the world, what's your thing?" Marcus asked.

"Um, music is my creative outlet." Gene said, smoothing out her blue dress.

"Really? Playing, singing, or writing?"

"Playing and composing." Gene nodded.

"What instrument?" Marcus wondered, before taking a bite of his steak. The way he ate was a bit strange. It was almost as if he was reluctant to eat what was in front of him. It was like watching a strict vegan force feed themselves steak while trying to look calm...weird.

"Violin mostly."

"That's nice. I wish I had musical talent."

Gene noticed her glass shake, the contents moved. She ignored it and looked at her date. "Um, what do you do?"

"I'm a dance instructor."

"I've never danced before."

"What? Girl, I gotta take you someday. As a musician you'd love it. Plus, I know you got moves, I've seen you hitting that punching bag." He grinned bringing his hands up in a semi-boxing position.

Gene blushed. "I'm sure I have two left feet." The whole building shook. Gene couldn't ignore that. "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah, maybe aftershocks? Nothing to worry about." Marcus commented.

Gene listened and heard something strange coming from above. The shaking wasn't coming from the ground, it was coming from the roof of the skyscraper. She slowly stood up. What if it was alien...? Should she go check it out? Then again...it wasn't like the Doctor was there. What if she got in over her head? Admittedly he was much better at the alien thing, even if he'd fucked up the personal space thing. "It's coming from the roof."

"Gene?!"

Gene turned and saw Jack and Ianto striding toward her quickly.

"Jack? Ianto? What are you doing here?"

"Oh...bit of a situation, could use a hand, especially yours." Jack held up a mechanical device. "This _could_ use your technical skills." Then he turned and looked at Marcus, his eyes narrowed. "And who are you?" He looked at him with a strange almost snarl on his face.

"I was wondering the same thing." Marcus commented, standing up.

Jack looked Marcus up and down and stood up straighter. "Captain Jack Harkness." There was none of his usual flirting tone in that greeting.

"Jack, be nice, it's fine," Ianto said before turning to Gene. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your dinner, Gene. We just need you for a moment."

"I'm on a date." For the first time ever, Gene was on a date and she felt like she wasn't actually making a fool of herself.

"Gene, just a little help." Jack said, shooting her a charming, borderline flirtatious smile.

"You need a musician for...that?" Marcus nodded to the mechanical box.

Jack turned and gave Marcus a flat look. "She's also a mathematician and scientist. My institute often requests her help on certain matters. Like the problem we're having _now._ But _she's-that's_ none of your business." The building shook again, as if to make Jack's point. "Wanna help?"

Gene sighed and looked at her date. "Marcus, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, business calls sometimes, especially in LA. I'll wait." Marcus nodded.

Gene smiled. "Thank you. I'll be right back."

Jack wrapped his hand around her upper arm and walked her toward the entrance to the restaurant.

"Sir," Ianto hissed. "Jack! Let go of her arm, can't you see she's uncomfortable? Captain, let go of Gene."

Gene pulled away as soon as they were out of sight.

"I'm sorry..." Jack said, taking a deep breath. "Stressed a bit." He blinked a few times then smiled. "Nice to see you, Gene, as always. How are you?"

"A bit upset. First the Doctor then the other Doctors, now you two... I'm overwhelmed by all of this I can't even catch a break. I was having a good day and then it gets ruined. Here I am trying to socialize for the first time in my life and you two show up. I just got back to my usual life. I'm juggling this alien thing and this human thing and I keep getting whiplash. And my head! I finally thought I was getting these headaches under control and now they're back worse than ever."

"Oh dear..." Ianto frowned. "Hm, I'm sorry about that, Gene. We both are, but we need your help. And we need to um...keep you safe."

"Safe from what?" Gene asked.

"There was a wreck not far from here, an alien spacecraft landed in the desert. We found out its a few surviving mooroki, previously thought extinct."

Ianto cleared his throat.

"Sorry. _Yan_ found out it was the mooroki. They feed off time travel energy. So since you've time traveled and you're probably the closest source _of...food_ for them. That's why they came here, they could sense you as a potential food source. If they don't eat enough they explode so...that's why the building's shaking. The mooroki is releasing a lot of energy and um...it'll blow soon, so we need to catch it." Jack explained.

"Alright, I thought my life was dull before all of this, but I didn't want it to get exciting this quickly." 

Jack held out his instrument. "This box is a capture and stasis unit, should contain the mooroki and keep them from exploding until we can find a better place for them, but it's broken. We could use your help."

Gene looked at the strange box and back up at them. "I took Earth engineering, I'm not an expert in all things."

"Wires are wires. I'm better at breaking things than fixing them and Yan gave it a shot, but no dice."

Gene took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll try. Tools? A table?"

"Right this way, my dear." Jack held out his arm for her.

Gene didn't take it. "Lead the way."

Jack left his arm up, his eyes looking confused, almost hurt. "Have I mentioned you look lovely tonight? Blue really suits you, always has."

"Thanks, can we do this today so I can try, for once, to have a normal life?"

"God, I feel like a little kid again, getting scolded by my mother." Jack lowered his arm and looked actually repentant as he walked forward.

"You're ten years older than me, at least."

Jack laughed. "Oh honey, I'm _thousands_ of years older than you, doesn't mean you don't have a 'Mom Voice.'"

"Wait...you're thousands of years old?" Gene asked.

"I'm-"

Ianto's hand flung out and he covered Jack's mouth. "Timeline, sir."

"Understood, Archivist." Jack mumbled against the hand.

Ianto pulled his hand away. "Just in here, Gene."

She followed them into an office, likely for the manager or owner of the restaurant...who was unconscious in the chair. "Oh my God, what have you two done?" She walked forward quickly and pressed her fingertips to her pulsepoint. The heartbeat was steady.

"She's fine, we just needed a work space." Ianto promised. "We know how upset you'd be if we hurt someone. I like to stay on your good side, personally. He's the one who pushes it."

"I'm starting to get that sense of you two." Gene said. "Tools?" Jack handed her a small kit. He put the box down on the desk in front of her and opened up the panel on the side.

"How early is this for you, Gene?" Jack asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"How old are you?" He asked.

"I'm twenty-two and a half, if we're talking about chronological time on Earth, but if you add in the time travel add an extra six and a half weeks."

"Wow." Ianto whispered.

"Why does everyone care how old I am?" Gene asked.

"Well, we have to limit what we can say to you, based on your age." Ianto answered plainly.

"So you don't know us very well, do you?" Jack asked, concerned.

"We've talked a couple times, but not for very long. I wasn't exactly counting the seconds, but I can estimate less than thirty minutes of total face time."

"Ouch..." Jack frowned. "You really are one backwards American."

"You're American too, I'll remind you."

"I'm actually from a lot of places, Gene. But, since I have the accent, yeah, I'm also American on top of it all." He laughed.

Gene hummed and looked at the innards. She brushed her hair out of her eyes, wishing she'd brought a hair tie with her, but he sister had insisted that wearing her hair down and curly was a better idea.

"Here."

Gene froze when Jack held out a hair tie to her. She blinked and looked over at him, taking the tie and pulling up her hair. "Thank you."

"Of course."

Gene began to pull apart the innards, keeping track of where everything was and laying it out neatly. "I'm going to ask, because it's curious, but why is a man with short hair carrying a hair tie?" She asked. 

"Short answer? For you." Jack commented, leaning against the desk. "You're like Violet; you work best with your hair out of your face. I've learned to keep one on me. Yours snapped one time and now I just keep one on me."

"Thoughtful..." Gene looked in. "Oh, there it is. Circuit can't complete because this tab's bent. Ah, needle nose pliers please?" She held out her hand and Ianto put the tool in her hand. She leaned forward and stared into the dark box.

"You look _so cute_ when you concentrate like that."

"Jack, really?" Ianto asked.

"Does he do that with everyone?"

"Yes! Everyone. All the time." Ianto said with a long suffering sigh.

"That actually makes me feel less uncomfortable. That means it's less about me and more about him." Gene said before she began to put the instrument back together.

"Do you really dislike traveling so much?" Jack asked quietly.

"No, I find that I love it, but it's a lot at once. And then the fucking Doctor..."

"Fighting with him, love?" Jack asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Gene sighed. "He was trying to help. Logically, I know what he was thinking and he meant no harm...but he caused a great deal of it. And he wasn't fully sorry, not really."

"Well, Time Lords choose their titles. He chose the Doctor, because he wanted to heal and bring peace. Sometimes he's an asshole about it. He usually sticks to his guns, but if he hurt you, I can guarantee he's sorry." Jack nodded. "Captain's honor."

"Still doesn't make me not pissed at him."

"I like redheads, they're spitfires. Ianto, wanna try red hair-"

"No, sir." Ianto deadpanned.

"You're no fun."

"We're on business, this is harassment, sir."

Jack grinned and kissed his cheek. "You love it when I harass you."

"You have the patience of a saint." Gene told Ianto, patting his shoulder before continuing her work.

"I take offense to that." Jack pouted. "But it's true, he is really patient. My lovely man."

"Aw, thanks." Ianto blushed.

"You two are adorable." Gene said, putting the panel back on.

"Thanks for the approval, love." Jack smiled. "Have we got it?"

"Yup. Did it. I mean...all the lights are on now. So I assume it's done."

"I trust it. If you did it, I trust it." Jack snatched it up. "Now, you want to join us to catch some aliens?"

"I'm bait, aren't I?"

"Well, we've all time traveled, but technically the time travel you used is more appealing than mine and Ian's and...yeah, you're bait, if you'd like to be."

Gene chuckled. Maybe she should just get used to it. She'd have to learn that her life was now about running, about experiencing, and living...not about knowing and learning. She really was getting whiplash between the too. She hated it...she loved it. "I'm in."

"That's my Gene." Jack smiled brightly. "Reading says it's on the roof."

"Let's take the stairs." Gene commented.

Ianto laughed, but nodded in agreement.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"It would have been nice to know ahead of time that the mooroki can shapeshift!" Jack said looking at the two Ianto's staring back at him.

"Sorry, sir." They said in unison, hands up. 

"By the way, love the coat." The Ianto on the right said.

Jack didn't move.

"Which one's which?" Gene asked.

"I'll ask you a very simple question, one that can't just be copied by any old shapeshifter with mild telepathy." Jack called out. He smiled at the two. "What's my name?"

"Javic." The Ianto on the left answered instantly.

The other Ianto just remained silent.

"Asked and answered." Jack lifted the box and flipped the switch. The Ianto on the left screamed as light flooded him and he vanished.

"The right answer was silence?" Gene asked.

"Of course it was." Jack nodded. "Ianto and I plan for these sorts of things. But, LA is safe. We just got to find the other one before they start to blow up. Only problem is they're hard to find until they start bleeding energy."

"What was that light?" A worried voice asked.

Gene slowly turned to see her date standing on the roof. "Oh shit." She took a deep breath and walked forward. "Um, what are you doing up here?"

"I was worried about you. Thought you might've gotten dragged off by two strangers."

Gene neared the man and smiled. "Thanks, but I'm fine and-"

Marcus grabbed her tight, spun her around and held her against his chest, pressing a knife to her throat. "I really didn't want to do it this way. Thought I'd follow you, have a snack, save me and my sister, but you just had to have friends."

"Great, first date and that's what I walk into. Someone who wants to eat me." Gene rolled her eyes. Really, her life was getting ridiculous now.

"Sounds like a pretty successful date to me. Usually the best dates end in someone eating me...or me eating them, right?" Jack winked and nudged Ianto.

"That's harassment, sir. And only you can confuse cannibalism with sexual acts." Ianto rolled his eyes before looking at Gene and Marcus (the apparent second alien). "Please let her go."

"Yeah, you really wouldn't like what we'd do to you if you tried to eat her."

"She wouldn't die. I only consume the energy." Marcus said, lifting Gene and walking toward the ledge.

"Yeah, and when you do that you often end up eating memories. Some end up brain dead, we don't want to risk that." Ianto said.

Marcus was against the edge and Gene felt fear rise into her chest. That was a long drop onto very hard ground. "Don't come closer or this next bit will be unpleasant. I don't want it to be, she's a nice girl."

"This is a capture chamber, we're not here to hurt you. We're going to take you and release you both with the Aplans, you'll have plenty of energy there." Jack commented. "I'm usually the first person to fire, but I'm being kind here. If you hurt a hair on Gene's head, though, the kindness will be gone, not just for you, but your sister too. You hurt her and you'll both meet a horrible end, I can promise you that." Jack looked dead serious, angry.

"Don't you dare hurt my little sister!" Marcus shouted.

"I know the worth of a sibling, just as well as you. I'm willing to put you through more pain than you could ever imagine if you hurt a single hair on Gene's head. You think losing a sibling is hard, wait until you see what I'll do if you hurt her."

"I'm not one for violence, but I'll do the same." Ianto agreed.

"Me too." A woman with a British accent said. Gene turned her head to see a woman who had appeared on the roof. She had bronze hair and green eyes. She wore a knee-length red dress. She lifted something that almost looked like a cattle prod and clicked a button. Light shot out and hit Marcus. He vanished. 

The grip was suddenly gone and Gene nearly fell over. She didn't dare move, closing her eyes so she wouldn't get dizzy and fall off the ledge.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked.

"Helping you, as usual, Cap." The woman's voice was light. "I got a note from Ianto."

"Right, lovely to see you again, Teach." Jack grinned. "Nice dress. You should wear red more often, dearie."

"Um, can someone help me down? I'm afraid what'll happen if I open my eyes...or move. I'm not great with heights." Gene said, feeling her heart pound against her ribs.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"I'm afraid of what'll happen if I open my eyes...or move. I'm not great with heights."

The Teacher looked from Gene to Jack. "I've got this one, boys." She walked forward with a confident stride, to Gene where she stood on the ledge.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"What has to be done." The Teacher reached up and shoved Gene off the roof. "Eek, sorry, Gene!" She frowned, peeking over the edge.

"Gene!" Jack shouted, yelling as she fell off the roof. He could hear her screaming in terror.

He got to the edge and looked down. The TARDIS was below. She fell five stories before she disappeared into the doors, safe and sound.

Jack huffed and turned to the girl. "She's terrified of heights. You're an ass."

"But you love me." She smiled.

"I was worried about her. You shoved her off the top of a roof!"

"It's covered. I checked ahead to make sure." Teacher shrugged.

Ianto scrolled through his phone. "She did, she informed me last week that this would be today's outcome."

"I hate both of you. Always so knowing."

"No, you love both of us." The Teacher kissed his cheek.

"You're more trouble than I am sometimes."

"Oh, honey, you taught me all I know." She winked, tapped on her vortex manipulator, then vanished.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene felt arms wrap around her and the sensation of falling was finally gone. She opened her eyes to meet blue ones and the familiar face of the ninth Doctor. As pissed as she was at his older self, she was so grateful to see him.

"You're nothing but trouble aren't you?"

"I'm starting to think I'm a magnet for it." Gene sighed and let her head fall back against his shoulder. "Nice catch."

"Nice dress." The Doctor responded, putting her down on the ground.

"Thanks."

"Out on a date?"

"Oh, I tried to, but he turned out to be an alien trying to eat my time traveling energy." Gene sighed. "It was a bit of a mess."

"Sounds like it, but you looked great, at least."

"Well, I'm trying it out." Gene said with a faint blush. "How'd you know to come get me?"

"You told me to. I tried to pick you up three days from now and you told me to come to these coordinates instead."

"I'll make a mental note." Gene said, looking down at her watch. "Well, thanks for the catch. Is Rose here?"

"She's sleeping we uh, just avoided World War III."

"Oh, well, that's good."

"I'm not really keen on London right now. Need a change."

"I'm thinking of hanging up my dating dress too. Need a change."

"So another adventure it is?" The Doctor asked.

Whiplash. Gene was starting to forget what a normal life was. God, she loved this though...she wished she didn't. Feelings were uncomfortable, scary. But seeing things, adventuring, living...that was great. "Yeah. If Rose is asleep, I'm guessing we should probably try to get some rest for tomorrow too, right?"

"Should do, yeah." The Doctor agreed. "Odds of you sleeping?"

"I just got pushed off a building by a red-head who poofed in from nowhere. 100% I'll sleep, the adrenaline will dump eventually and I'll crash like a rock. If I get thrown off a building more often I might start sleeping like a normal person."

The Doctor laughed. "Best of luck. Your room's just how you left it."

"Thanks." Gene smiled and headed to her room. It was how she left it. She pulled off her shoes and dress. She took off her earrings, but left her locket on. She let her hair down and pulled on a loose shirt before collapsing face-first on her bed. She was starting to not trust Jack and Ianto, it was like they were harbingers of her falling from high heights. They seemed nice enough though. The strange red-head though was totally going to get smacked if she saw her again. "Go on a date, Emily said. It'll go great, she said. You'll finally socialize, she said. Never socializing again. I'm going to be a hermit." She huffed and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.


	15. Dalek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late post. This whole COVID thing has everything upside-down. It may be a while for my next one too.  
> Sorry. Stay safe everyone.

The ridiculous looking robots proved to be quite frightening. Something about them gave Gene a headache, but she hadn't thought much of them, except... Well, Gene figured they had to be scary for the Doctor to look as scared as he did and then...Rose. Gene reached out and rubbed the distraught Doctor's arm. Gene felt like a failure. She'd tried to find Rose an alternate route out, but she hadn't been quick enough. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor looked tired and rubbed his face. "It wasn't you, Gene. The place had to be sealed."

If the Dalek's were as skilled as the Doctor said, then they could destroy humanity. Still, Gene wished she could have done something, anything to save Rose. "Still...I'm sorry." She knew how much the Doctor cared for Rose. "I should've been smarter...should've found a way." Her head ached again. Why did she feel like she'd gone through this before? She felt like she'd been asked to used her brains to help against these beasts and failed before. That...wasn't right, right? She'd never seen the funny looking robots.

"It's not your job, Gene."

Gene frowned. It sure _felt_ like her job.

A young man rushed into the room, panting.

"You were quick on your feet, leaving Rose behind." The Doctor glared at Adam.

"I'm not the one who sealed the vault!" Adam snapped back.

"Um, Doctor?" Gene asked, pointing to the screen.

"Open the bulkhead or Rose Tyler dies." The Dalek demanded.

"You're alive!" The Doctor grinned.

"Can't get rid of me." Rose responded, smiling anxiously.

"I thought you were dead." The Doctor sighed in relief.

'Shit.' Gene thought to herself. The Dalek had a hostage and the Doctor would save her, she'd seen his actions before. He'd let the Dalek out. She needed a plan to stop it. But how do you stop an unstoppable machine? She didn't know enough about this to even begin to sort through the data. How could she solve an equation without all the numbers and variables? Why did it feel like her job? Surely this was more the Doctor's area of expertise.

"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?"

Gene was pulled out of her thoughts by that. The Doctor who'd come to her before, he'd been so broken up, so hollow. She frowned. That Doctor was one who'd lost someone he'd loved. That meant...maybe not today, but one day he'd lose Rose. What kind of person was she? The Doctor loved Rose Tyler, lost her and came to Gene for comfort. Then, when he'd tried to help her, because he was likely scared of someone else getting hurt, she'd been angry at him and left him. She'd have to apologize to him...once their timelines matched up again. Or stop Rose from being lost to begin with.

"I killed her once. I can't do it again." The Doctor really loved her. It was sweet in a sad way...knowing the future would only bring the Doctor pain.

Why did seeing that love hurt a little bit? Gene buried the hurt, she'd have to to help with this.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Adam and Rose disappeared into the TARDIS. Gene walked to the console and flipped a few switches before turning a wheel and turning on the stabilizers.

"How'd you do that?" The Doctor asked with his arms folded over his chest.

"You taught me...future you. Well, you taught me some basics, not everything, but I can make sure she doesn't, you know, run into a sun while people are sleeping."

The Doctor smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes. "That's some smooth piloting, must have a natural skill for it."

"Or a good teacher, don't sell yourself short." She walked to the doors and opened them up. "That view never gets old."

"No, it doesn't." The Doctor agreed.

Gene sat down between the doors and let her feet swing.

The Doctor snorted. "You making a habit of this?"

Gene had sat in the doorway, looking out at the stars five times, once with the ninth Doctor, and four times with his older self. To his older self, it had seemed like a natural habit, a place to go when either of them were bothered or upset. Perhaps this was when the habit formed.

The Doctor sighed and walked forward. "Fine. Alright, but I don't want to talk."

"I won't ask you to." Gene promised.

The Doctor sat down and leaned against his side of the door. The silence stretched on.

Gene didn't know what to say. This man was one who'd been through trauma, who'd apparently watched all his people die and come out the lone survivor-and he still managed to be kind. Gene wasn't sure she could do that or even begin to comfort him.

"Suppose the war's officially over now." The Doctor said quietly.

"If you want it." Gene sang lamely.

The Doctor laughed. "Quoting a Christmas song at me, lovely." There was silence again.

"I'm not sure about that Adam kid." Gene commented.

"Ah, me neither, but Rose nearly died, she's allowed to have a lapse in judgment."

"She still doesn't beat my bad date." Gene shook her head.

"Oh, darlin', I could tell you all about bad dates. I once went on a date with an alien who had two heads, and let's just say one of them was very not interested in me. Made for an awful dinner conversation."

"Sounds horrible. I can barely manage one-on-one interaction, let alone that much in one sitting."

"Well, I escaped with my life and they kissed and made up, so it was alright." The Doctor laughed. "You ever feel like you're cursed to always doing the wrong thing?" He asked, suddenly serious.

"No. My curse is...I feel like I'm always running from myself or...running from failure."

"We should have jackets. There are billions of us running from our own shadows out there. We'd make a hell of a group." The Doctor slowly held out his hand.

Gene couldn't say sorry to his older self, but she could be kind to him now. She took his hand.

"How was your break? Get your head on right after some time off? I imagine all this could be...overwhelming."

"Not one bit. I made it home and you (not you you a different you) showed up twice and then Jack and Ianto came around and we had to fight off aliens and then I got shoved off a building and you caught me."

"Sounds pretty restful to me." The Doctor and Gene shared a chuckle. "Who's Jack and Ianto?"

"Not sure I can tell you. Let's just say that almost every time I've met them I've fallen off something tall. I should probably stop meeting them." Gene sighed. Though...there was something about those two she really liked.

"...Sorry. I know it's got to be a lot for you."

"It is...but I like it. I'm starting to learn that I've been alive all these years, but I've only just started living."

"Well, there's more to come."

"Good." Gene said. "I was nervous about it and afraid, but it's like an addiction. Though, I'm not going to lie. Some days I really just want to hide in my room with a violin or some math or physics."

"Introvert then, I can understand that." He squeezed her hand. "Thank you. I don't...like being in my head when it's like this."

"That's why you don't sleep. You'd do anything to not be in your own head."

"You're too observant for my liking, Gene. It's fantastic...and sort of creepy." He said, then he nudged her shoulder with his. "It was a joke."

"Glad to know I'm not the only freak here."

"I only allow freaks on my ship."

Gene looked out at the stars, then pointed with her free hand. "Which one's that one?"

"Which one?"

"That one."

"Ah, it's called Rqwityitee."

"Weird." Gene said, pointing to another one. "And that one?"

"Pah'opla." 

Gene asked question after question, hoping to keep the Doctor's mind occupied. She couldn't really hear his answers after a while, but she asked another question anyway.

"Are you even _really_ awake anymore?" The Doctor asked with a chuckle.

"Mmhm, and um, I've always wondered was it the chicken or the egg? My money has always been on the chicken."

"You humans are so weird. And you need to go to bed."

"It's not even late though." Gene frowned and then yawned.

"Valiant effort. I appreciate it, but I'd appreciate it a lot more if you didn't fall asleep and then tumble out into space."

"True...that would be a scary way to die." Rupturing lungs, liquid in the eyes and mouth boiling and...ugh. Gene shivered, not wanting to think of more of it.

"Up with you." The Doctor said, helping her up.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Gene asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah, get some rest. And thank you, I needed to unwind a bit. Scary day, you know?"

Gene nodded. "Maybe try for some sleep too. I don't know how much Time Lords need, but probably a little bit."

"Some nights." The Doctor said, waving his hand. "I'll try. You go sleep, busy day tomorrow."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Gene."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.


	16. Father's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the super long wait. The world and life is crazy now. I'll try to be better.

Gene folded her arms across her chest and stared at Rose, barely holding back her anger. Gene shot a look at the Doctor, who seemed to be equally as pissed, which gave her some validity...she wasn't always sure her emotional responses were correct. But how stupid could Rose be? Yet there she was, starry eyed, looking around the house like nothing absolutely crazy was happening.

"All the stuff mum kept...his stuff." She looked around, touching things. "She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink."

Gene buried her head in her hands and rubbed her forehead. This was wrong on so many levels. A voice echoed in her head _WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG_! And the implications of this were driving her crazy. What would the ripple of this be? She saved someone who was dead. It was one thing to interact with a timeline, but another thing entirely to go and change your own history. Right? Pete Tyler was dead. Rose Tyler had grown up with a dead father, that had shaped who she was, what she did, where she went, who she met, what she experienced. Which meant the girl who'd saved Pete Tyler, technically could no longer exist, which meant she likely would have never done it in the first place. It was a whole fucking mess. Gene didn't understand the ins and outs of time the way the Doctor did, but she did understand that this was messed up. And how many times had the Doctor said not to mess with personal history? There was a reason why the Doctors kept Gene from meeting her future self, why she hadn't met herself interfering in her life, but other time travelers had. There had to be a reason, and now here Rose was...slave to her emotions over logic.

Gene felt almost validated for having so much cool logic, even if she hated her semi-detachment to her own feelings.

The Doctor seemed to agree completely. "I know what I'm doing! You don't! Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point."

"But he's alive."

"My entire planet died! My family, my friends, my loved ones! Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?"

"But it's not like I've changed history."

"Yes, you have." Gene snapped. "It's all different now."

"Not much!" Rose defended. "I mean he's never going to be a world leader. He's not going to start World War III or anything."

"Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before: an ordinary man. That's the most important thing in creation. The whole world is different because he's alive."

"What?! Would you rather him dead?" Rose demanded. "For two people who have lost family, you seem rather cold about mine. You would rather him dead, wouldn't you?"

"I'm not saying that."

Rose rolled her eyes. "No, I get it. For once, you're not the most important man in my life."

"Oh Jesus." Gene scoffed. "Are you s-"

The Doctor held up his hand to shush Gene "Let's see how you get on without me then. Give me the key. The TARDIS key, now." He held out his hand. "If I'm so insignificant, give it back."

"Alright then, I will."

"Are you a dumb ape too or do you have some sense?" The Doctor turned on Gene.

"I'm standing on the side of logic here."

The Doctor nodded and looked at Rose. "You've got what you wanted, so that's goodbye then."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

On the way back to the TARDIS, the Doctor was fuming. "Please tell me you're not that stupid, Gene."

"Doctor, even if I wanted to know about my birth parents, I wouldn't go."

"Why?"

"Because I don't like feeling angry. Anger is...I just don't like it." Gene played with the locket around her neck. "I've solved lots of mysteries, but not this one. I don't want to. I don't want to know what sort of people didn't even knock on an orphanage door to get their baby out of the cold. I don't want to know what kind of people they are or were. They make me angry. I was lucky to get adopted by good people. Why linger on people who only hurt me, when I had family that loved me even when I wasn't theirs?"

"Sound logic."

Gene frowned. This right here, at least maybe the Doctor wouldn't tell her what he'd seen then, because he knew she didn't want to know. Part of her wanted it to not be a mystery. The part of her that liked logic and order, wanted to know, wanted the mystery to be over. The part of her that was tired of being hurt and lonely never ever wanted to know. Maybe since she'd told him, then she wouldn't have to know, she wouldn't have faces to aim the anger at. She was rarely angry, but she knew somehow, that her anger was dangerous.

"This is such a mess." The Doctor shook his head and put his key in the TARDIS door. He pushed open the doors.

"What the hell? Gene asked when all there was was a blue box. The dimension that had lived in that blue box was gone.

"Rose!" The Doctor huffed. "Come on, Gene, we have to go, quickly." He held out his hand to her.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"We're safe in here then?" Gene asked the Doctor.

"For a little while, not long." The Doctor whispered.

"That's not what you told them."

"I trust you not to panic. I'll figure something out in the time we have." He nodded.

"Oi, you with the accent and Mister Doctor." Jackie called. "Mind watching Rose for a minute, loves?"

"I'm um-" Gene's eyes were huge.

"Here you are. Thank you, lovey." Jackie handed Rose to Gene.

Gene cradled the baby that was handed to her, her heart beating triple time. But then the baby Rose snuggled in and Gene's face softened. "Aw." Gene shifted, getting comfortable with the baby, making sure she was supported. Baby Rose reached out and grabbed her dress, tightly, tugging on it. She'd never held a baby before. She liked little kids, like little little kids, because they were bright and curious and said the most strangely wise things. Plus, kids tended to ask better questions than most adults, which was fun. But babies were scary because they couldn't take care of themselves even in the slightest. Young kids could at least move and eat and drink fairly well. Babies were so fragile. But...huh, it wasn't as scary as she thought.

"Now, Rose, you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you?" The Doctor asked in a quiet voice and Rose approached. "Jackie gave her to us to look after...how times change." The Doctor scoffed.

"I'd better be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken." She reached toward herself.

Gene jumped out of her chair and stepped back on instinct. The Doctor threw his hand between Gene and Rose.

"No. DON'T touch the baby."

"Paradox, right?" Gene asked, pressing the baby closer to her.

"Exactly. And we don't want a paradox happening, not with these things outside. Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. A paradox might let them in."

Rose frowned and collapsed into a pew. "Can't do anything right, can I?"

"Since you ask, no. So DON'T TOUCH THE BABY."

"I'm not stupid." Rose defended.

Gene might beg to differ since Rose had nearly touched her younger self.

"You could have fooled me." The Doctor rolled his eyes. Then he seemed to realize how harsh he was being. "Alright, I'm sorry."

"Ow." Gene grimaced. Something was burning her in her pocket. "Ow, help please. Doctor."

"What is it?" The Doctor walked forward. 

Gene held out baby Rose and then quickly yanked the TARDIS key out of her pocket as soon as the baby was safe. She dropped it on the ground. "Is that supposed to do that?"

"Here, my turn." The Doctor handed her baby Rose back and pulled out the key in his pocket. He too dropped it. "It's the TARDIS key..."

"But that energy..." Gene's eyebrows pulled together. "Does that mean...?"

"The TARDIS is still online, fantastic."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene stood back as Rose comforted her father in his last moments.

"Oh that I could have been there for my family..." The Doctor whispered. "Wish she would have done it right the first time, could have done without all this." He said, speaking up.

Gene frowned. She could tell he cared about Rose a lot. "You know, she didn't intend for it to go bad...she just didn't know."

"I know. It could have been the end of it all though."

She didn't know what else to say to try to help mend that bridge, so she let it go. "It turned out alright."

"Maybe you could warn me next time." The Doctor smiled.

"I can't, besides, I don't know everything that happens. I just seemed to get bits and pieces, it's not like the future you gives me a list full of timestamps and instructions."

The Doctor laughed. "Good, at least I'm not an idiot in the future. Still, helpful hints sometimes would be nice." He nodded. "Time to go?"

"Yeah. She shouldn't have to stay here too long."

"You're getting better at this."

"At what?" Gene asked.

"Empathy."

Gene paused as the Doctor walked away. It was probably the best compliment she'd ever gotten in her life. Maybe feelings could get easier, perhaps they were just another mystery that slowly needed to be solved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.


	17. The Empty Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life has been a mess, but that's pretty much everyone at the moment. Sorry about the delay.

"Something's frazzled." The Doctor commented as he rushed around the console.

"What is?"

"I'm getting a distress signal, but I can't lock on, I'm trying, but it keeps slipping." The Doctor said still moving around the console frantically.

"Sonic." Gene requested, holding out her hand.

"What?"

"Trust me." She caught it when he tossed it to her and she climbed under the console. She pulled off a panel and, just as the Doctor'd taught her, began to work on the distress signal receiver. It was like the Doctor had given her a tip for her future after all. She almost laughed.

"I got it! Whatever you did down there, genius, Gene!"

"You're welcome." Gene called back, putting the panel back on.

"What's the emergency?" Rose asked.

"It's mauve." The Doctor explained. 

Gene put the sonic in her pocket and moved to climbed back up, but the TARDIS shook horribly. "Could you keep it steady for five seconds?" Gene muttered to herself.

"Mauve?" Rose asked, holding her hand out to help Gene up.

"The universally recognized color for danger."

Gene smiled. She could tell adventure was calling. "Need help?" She asked, walking up to the console and flipped on the blue stabilizers. "There, should be easier on you."

"How did you do that?" Rose asked.

"He taught me." Gene said. "Well, not him, but him. That's not confusing at all." She sighed.

"I don't use stabilizers." The Doctor's eyes narrowed.

"No, you don't, but you told me about them, so...I do...on occasion."

"That's just weird." Rose shook her head. "Why not red though?" She asked the Doctor with a smile.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The Doctor made his way to the stage and Gene turned. Where did Rose go? She frowned and headed for the door, opening it only to freeze. She looked up and her eyes widened. They needed to find Rose, because this place was under attack. She rushed back in and heard laughter. "Doctor?"

"Just a mo. Have I said something funny?" He asked the people.

"Doctor, I think there's a war-" Her eyes met a poster. "Um, there's a war going on." Gene pointed to the poster.

"Oh...ooooh." The Doctor said as sirens went off. "Great."

"Yeah, and Rose is gone." Gene pointed out.

"Right..." The Doctor sighed. "That really gets old, you know?"

Gene followed him out toward the TARDIS.

"You know, one day, just one day, maybe...I'm going to meet someone who gets the whole 'don't wander off' thing. Are you going to wander off on me?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes."

"Damn, can't even count on you to have common sense." The Doctor shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Don't sass me." Gene commented with a half-smile.

The Doctor turned and looked at her. "You've changed, but I haven't been gone that long, have I?" He asked as a phone rang.

"Not really." Gene turned. "Um... I've never seen that ring...is it normal?"

"What?" The Doctor asked and turned. His eyes narrowed. "No, that's not something that should happen." He walked forward and opened the door. "What am I supposed to do with a ringing phone?" He asked, getting his sonic screwdriver out.

"I'm socially inept, but I think you answer ringing phones, not sonic them." Gene commented dryly.

"Dry humor and sarcasm, you really are getting sassy."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. It's so human." The Doctor turned and smiled at her.

"I'll answer." Gene reached out for the phone.

"Don't answer it!"

The Doctor and Gene turned to look at a young girl in the alleyway.

"It's not for you."

"And how do you know that?" The Doctor asked.

'She looks weird.' Gene thought. It wasn't that the young woman looked odd, she just...held herself differently than most young girls did...was she...older? Maybe it was the stress of the war.

"'Cause I do. And I'm telling you: don't answer it."

The Doctor turned and fiddled with the door. "Well, if you know so much, tell me this. How can it be ringing?"

"Doctor." Gene called as the girl rushed away.

"It's not even a real phone-"

Gene tugged on his jacket. "She's gone."

"Huh...oh." He frowned, then he picked up the phone. "Hello? This is the Doctor speaking, how may I help you?" The Doctor paused and his frown deepened as he received an answer. "Who is this? Who's speaking? ..."

"Doctor?" Gene asked. He gestured for her to lean in, so she did. He leaned down and she stood on her toes so she could hear too.

"Who is this?"

"Mummy? Are you my mummy?"

"Mommy?" Gene asked.

"Mummy?! Are you my mummy?"

"How did you ring here? This isn't a real phone, it's not wired up to anything."

"Doctor...I don't like this."

"Me neither." The Doctor said as the dial tone began to sound. "Okay we need to do two things. Find Rose and figure out what's going on."

"Agreed." Gene looked down the alley. "Well, we know where one thing is. And I'm guessing Rose is going to find her way to trouble eventually. Odds are we'll meet up."

"I agree with your math. Let's go."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene walked back from the sink and sat next to the Doctor. Surprised that they hadn't been spotted yet. Gene wasn't wearing period appropriate attire and her red hair did not blend well with the subdued colors. She looked at the girl and decided that no, she wasn't a girl. This was a young woman, a caring young woman. She was older than she looked.

Gene took the plate when it was passed to her, but she didn't take a slice, not at all as hungry as these poor, homeless children. "Thanks, Miss." She muttered and handed the plate to the Doctor.

"Thanks, miss!" The Doctor said cheerily. The children nearly jumped out of their skins and tried to get away from the table.

"It's alright. Everybody stay where you are." The children listened to her cool authority and paused.

"Good here, innit? Gene, could you pass the salt?"

She sighed at his ridiculousness, but grabbed the salt and passed it.

"Back in your seats. They shouldn't be here either."

The children sat back down and Gene let the Doctor ask the questions. She listened to the answers and helped the young boy next to her cut his food. The young boy looked up at her with wide, innocent eyes.

"Thank you, miss." He whispered.

"You're welcome."

"Don't you want some too?" He asked, looking concerned. "You're awful skinny."

"I'm just built small...eat up, buddy."

"You're nice, miss...and weird. You're hair's really red and you talk weird."

"There are worse things." She smiled and nudged his plate to him. "Eat up."

"What do you want?" Nancy demanded.

"I want to know how a phone that isn't even a phone gets a phone call... You seem to be the one to ask."

Nancy's jaw set. "I did you a favor." She got up. "I told you not to answer it, that's all I'm telling you."

"Great, thanks!" The Doctor smiled, undeterred by her lack of insight. "And I want to find a blonde in a Union Jack. I mean a specific one. I didn't just wake up this morning with a craving."

Gene snorted and covered her mouth.

"Anybody seen a girl like that?"

Nancy swiped his plate with narrowed eyes.

"What have I done wrong?" The Doctor demanded.

"You took two slices, that means your friend didn't get one."

"I didn't want one." Gene shrugged.

"It's against the rules." Then she glared at the Doctor. "No blondes, no flags. Anything else before you two leave?"

"Yeah, there is actually. Thanks for asking." He elbowed Gene and held out a pen. "Something we've been looking for."

Gene began to sketch on a napkin. She'd drawn blueprints before, and she tried to get the dimensions and shape as close to accurate and to scale as possible.

"Would've fallen from the sky about a month ago, but not a bomb." The Doctor took the sketch from her and held it up. "Not the usual kind, anyway, wouldn't have exploded. Probably would have buried itself in the ground somewhere, and it would have looked something like this." He held it up.

A knock sounded on the door and everyone jumped and turned pale. Very pale.

"Mummy? Are you my mummy?"

There was a child outside, in a gas mask.

"Who was the last one in?" Nancy asked urgently.

"Him." A boy pointed to another one.

"No, he came 'round the back. Who came in the front?"

"Me." The boy next to Gene whispered.

"Did you close the door?"

"Um..."

"Did you close the door?!" Nancy dashed into the hallway.

Gene and the Doctor followed her and Gene frowned when the woman locked the door, leaving the little boy out in the cold, alone, on the front steps...just as she was left.

"What's this then? It's never easy being the only child left out in the cold, you know?" The Doctor insisted.

"I supposed you'd know." Nancy snapped.

"I do, actually, yes." The Doctor nodded.

"I do too. My parents left me on an orphanage step as a baby in December."

Nancy looked stricken, but swallowed heavily and straightened up. "It's not exactly a child."

"It?" Gene asked the Doctor as Nancy rushed back to the children.

"Mummy? Mummy? Please let me in, mummy." A small hand, so small, reached through the mail flap. 

"He's just a little boy." Gene whispered, walking forward. Part of her ached for him. She just wanted to pull him out of the cold and wrap him up in warmth. He had to be scared. It was a war and he was alone, hungry...cold.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked.

"Please let me in."

"Of course." Gene reached for the door, but then glass shattered by her hand.

"You mustn't let him touch you!" Nancy protested.

"What could he possibly do? He's a child." Gene turned on her.

"He'll make you like him."

The Doctor frowned. "And what's he like?"

"I've got to go."

"Nancy! What's he like?" The Doctor demanded.

Nancy looked...so sad. "He's empty." The phone rang and she jumped, looking at it. "It's him. He can make phones ring. He can. Just like with that police box you saw."

Gene reached out and lifted it. "Hello?"

"Are you my mummy?"

Nancy ripped it out of her hand and hung it up. The radio turned on, then one of those creepy monkeys began to slam it's hands together. "Mummy, mummy, mummy." It was like a horror movie.

"You stay if you want." Nancy shook her head and left.

The boy's scared hand reached through the door again, reaching. "Mummy? Let me in please, mummy. Please let me in."

Gene opened her mouth, but the Doctor held out his hand, covering her lips with a single finger. "Your mummy isn't here."

"Are you my mummy?"

"No mummies here... Nobody here but us chickens. Well, this chicken."

"I'm scared."

Gene's heart broke. She pleaded with the Doctor silently, hoping he could see in her eyes that they needed to help the boy.

"Why are those other children frightened of you?"

"Please let me in, mummy. I'm scared of the bombs."

The Doctor looked up at Gene and nodded. He stood up and gestured for her to take a step back. "Okay, I'm opening the door now." The hand vanished and the Doctor opened the door. The boy was gone.

"Doctor, what's going on here?"

"I'd like to know that too."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene looked up from the poor people in the beds when she heard the doctor say the word 'mummy.' "Doctor." She slowly stepped to the Doctor's side, leaning against him, as if she could hide behind him and be safe from this mess. Then, horrifically, the man's face began to morph. Gene hid her face against the Doctor's back to not see it. Whatever was happening, she didn't like it. It made her feel uneasy. The Doctor though, he'd keep her safe. She knew it, because somehow they'd both met again in the future and... He smelled nice. It was almost relaxing, the smell of his jacket. Much like his older self, he smiled like a summer thunderstorm and spice. Strange, but wonderful.

"You're alright, let's just...not touch any of them." The Doctor turned and grabbed her shoulders. "Hey, you're alright, okay?"

Gene nodded, suddenly feeling very small. "I'm sorry. I just...it scared me."

"We're allowed to be scared. More importantly, you are allowed to be scared." He nodded.

"Thank you." Gene wasn't used to it, fear. It felt so childish but he didn't look at her as less for it.

"Everyone gets scared, that's what makes you human." He said. "Deep breath, we've got to figure this out."

"Agreed."

"Hello?" A call echoed in the hospital.

"Jack?" Gene asked quietly.

"Who's Jack?"

"Someone I keep running into." Gene whispered.

"Hello!" Rose's voice followed.

"Found Rose." The Doctor smiled. "That's one mystery solved."

Jack, looking just as handsome as ever but...younger, walked into the room with Rose. 

It was strange. He didn't look at Gene the way he usually did. With those strange emotions around his eyes. "Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting." He swept into the room, his smooth approach hadn't changed. "Jack Harkness. I've been hearing about you on the way over." He held out his hand to the Doctor. 

The Doctor took it, looking confused.

"He knows." Rose commented. "I had to tell him about us being Time Agents." She wasn't being as smooth as she seemed to think she was.

"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mister Spock." Jack patted his arm then cocked his head to the side. "Hello... Don't believe I heard about you." He walked toward Gene and held out his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness." He said with a sly smile.

"Gene." She shook his hand and watched his face...it didn't look normal. "Have we met?"

Jack continued to shake her hand. "You know...maybe? You'd think I'd remember someone like you. Huh. You do look familiar though. I...I feel like I should know you."

"Wow, so... I'm meeting you first this time. Nice to meet you Jack."

"Wait, you've met me?" Jack asked.

"A few times." Gene nodded, then extracted her hand from his.

Jack seemed a bit confused. "Right, that's not uncomfortable or weird at all..." He shook himself.

"Welcome to the club, it seems I meet everyone out of order. They usually know me better than I know myself and that's irritating." Gene mumbled.

"Good luck with that." Jack said and kept walking, examining a patient.

Gene walked over to the Doctor and Rose. "So what are Time Agents and why didn't he know I was here?" Gene asked in a whisper.

"I may have forgot to mention you, sorry, you're just so quiet." Rose commented.

The Doctor's forehead creased a little bit, then he turned to Gene. "Time Agents are exactly what they sound like. They go through time and alter things without leaving a sign of them being there. They were formed shortly after the vortex manipulator was made, the vortex manipulator your time travel equations created."

"Oh...so don't mention my last name?" Gene nodded.

"If at all possible, avoid using your last name, yes." The Doctor agreed. "Glad we're on the same page." He patted her shoulder.

"This just isn't possible." Jack commented. "How did this happen?"

"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" The Doctor retorted.

"What?" Jack asked.

Gene narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the way Jack spoke. He wasn't acting like normal... At least, not how she knew him to be. He seemed almost squirmy.

"He said it was a warship." Rose explained. "He stole it, parked it somewhere out there, somewhere a bomb's going to fall on it unless we make him an offer."

"That's a con if I ever heard one." Gene snorted. "It's neat, orderly..."

The Doctor looked at her and raised an eyebrow before smiling at her. "Sounds like a possibility." He agreed, then looked at Jack and spoke up. "What kind of warship?"

"Does it matter?" Jack demanded. "It's got nothing to do with this."

"This started at the bomb site." The Doctor snapped. "It's got _EVERYTHING_ to do with it. What _KIND_ of warship?"

"Doctor..." Gene whispered, not liking the stricken look on Jack's face for some reason. "Look he's upset and if he's upset there means something's going on. Maybe just tell us what it is?"

Jack looked at her and sighed, his expression turning into guilt and shame. "It was an ambulance. Here, look." He pressed a few buttons on on the vortex manipulator. A hologram appeared over the top. "That's what you chased through the time vortex. It's space junk." He admitted with a frown. "I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it."

"A con. It was bait."

Jack looked at her. "You're quick. I know I know you from somewhere. You said this is my first time meeting you, but I know you from something else, don't I?"

"No." Gene lied.

"You're smart, but not a good liar." Jack walked forward. "Something I can do to get the truth from you?" He smirked at her.

"Hey, back off." The Doctor warned. "She has a thing about personal space, give her some."

Jack narrowed his eyes, but took a step back. "I threw it at your ship. Love the retro look, by the way."

"But, you said it was a warship?" Rose asked.

"They have ambulances in wars." Jack shrugged. "You got me, I'm a conman. But you three are liars. You're not Time Agents, are you?"

"More like...freelancers." Rose said slowly.

"Oh," Jack rolled his eyes. "Should have known. The way you guys are blending in with the local color. I mean flag girl was bad enough, but U-boat captain?" He scoffed. Then he walked forward and stepped into Gene's space, pointing a finger at her. "And you. I knew I knew your face. Gene Cooper, mother of time travel. Well, when we were studying you, there was nothing in there about you being a time traveler yourself. Guess you had a bit of help with your calculations."

"No. I was a teenager when I solved it. I time traveled for the first time months ago." Gene said, straightening up. "Don't go getting any ideas about doubting my mind." She doubted it enough, she didn't need others finding it flawed as well.

"Mm, beautiful, smart, and sassy. Nice." Jack said. "What's your age?"

"Don't-" The Doctor started in an angry, warning tone.

"Twenty-two, but technically I'm getting closer to twenty-three."

"Shame about that." Jack frowned.

Gene tilted her head to the side. "What?"

The Doctor stepped between them. "Captain Harkness, this is your mess."

Gene did not like the way the Doctor stopped Jack from speaking. What was it with people and her age?

"Whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship." Jack defended.

"What is happening here, Doctor?" Rose asked.

The Doctor bowed his head. "Human DNA is being rewritten by an idiot."

"Rewritten...like how your face...?" Gene asked, trying not to let too much on given the way Jack was acting. Though she suspected Jack would make a turn around, considering how he acted around her in the future, she didn't want to just outright expose the Doctor's identity.

"No, not like that." The Doctor shook his head. "It's like a virus, converting humans into these things. But what's the point?"

An ambulance... "What if it's not a virus though? If it's an ambulance-" Gene started.

The patients all sat up at once, silencing Gene. "Mummy. Mummy?"

"Oh shit..." Gene whispered.

"What's happening?" Rose asked.

"I don't know."

"Mummy?"

Gene looked at the nearest one, trying to see if there was anything they were missing. A pair of hands grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her back into a warm chest. She felt small compared to him. The Doctor always seemed to be larger than her by almost a foot, always. There was that smell again, a summer storm and spice. It smelled amazing. Really, she should ask the Doctor what sort of cologne he wore, because that was amazing. How did someone bottle a storm?

"Don't let them touch you." The Doctor warned.

Rose pressed back against the Doctor, to the point where Gene stumbled out of his arms. Jack caught her and pulled her close, his stance too, was protective. Somehow she felt safe with him as well. "What happens if they touch us?"

The Doctor nodded to the changed patients. "You're looking at it." He said as they were backed into a corner, surrounded.

"Help me, mummy."

Gene felt a tug in her heart. Those poor people.

"Mummy?"

"Muuummmmmmmy?"

Gene took a deep breath and reached out. The Doctor's arms were busy with Rose, but she grabbed his jacket and grit her teeth. She didn't want to die...or have whatever happened to these people happen to her. She needed something though, something to ground her. There had to be a way out, a way through. She just needed to think. She tightened her grip on the jacket, it was solid, real. She opened her eyes. There had to be something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.


	18. The Doctor Dances, Gene Doesn't...Does She?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More stuff. Woo.

The patients approached, begging for their mother. Gene's eyes widened and she let go of the Doctor's jacket, taking a step forward, out of Jack's arms. 

"Gene!" The Doctor reached out and grabbed her wrist.

This was either really stupid or really smart. She hadn't been in trouble a lot as a kid, but she had been scolded. She took a shaky breath. "Go to your room!"

The patients stood still.

The Doctor stepped up next to her, still holding her hand. "Oh my God, that's brilliant." He whispered. "Go to your room!" He shouted at them in agreement. "I mean it. I'm very, VERY angry with you. I'm very, very cross." They didn't move at all. "Go. To. Your. Room!" He bellowed at them.

They slowly, somberly walked away.

"I'm really glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words." The Doctor shook his head.

"I believe your last words would actually be something along the lines of 'mummy' in this case." Gene commented dryly.

"And you!" The Doctor grinned. He gripped her face and kissed her forehead. "Pure genius. You are absolutely fantastic." He walked away and Jack and Rose followed him.

Gene stood there...frozen. Her forehead felt warm, tingly. She'd seen people do that before, kissing foreheads or cheeks in celebration... Her adoptive father and mother had done it after her recitals, but she'd never felt warm and tingly after one of those. "Huh." She whispered, following after them.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

The flirting was annoying, Gene was finding. Mostly because she didn't know what Rose's endgame was. She sometimes flirted with the Doctor, sometimes flirted with Jack. What was the point of it? Gene had never really understood it: flirting. She understood the endgame, of course, not that she'd ever flirted with anyone, but she'd seen people flirt. Rose though, she just didn't get. It seemed she flirted with pretty much everyone...but, didn't she have a boyfriend back in her time? It all didn't add up. Gene liked when things added up. Maybe she was just naturally flirty, the same way Jack seemed to be. Though, somehow, Jack's flirting seemed more genuine, something about Rose's flirting seemed malicious in nature, like she was trying to play people off one another.

Gene stepped into a room and her eyes widened. There were pictures on the wall, drawn by a child. The room was ransacked and the adjoining room looked like it had been turned upside down. Gene walked forward and knelt down, picking up a picture. A little boy holding a woman's hand. 

"What do you think?" The Doctor asked.

"Something got out of here." Jack answered.

"Yeah." The Doctor scoffed. "And?"

"Something powerful, angry."

"No...this isn't anger." Gene whispered, reaching out to a teddy bear.

"A child?" Jack asked, looking down at Gene. "I suppose this explains 'mummy.'" He sighed.

"How could a child do this?" Rose asked.

Gene looked down at the drawings. "Have you ever been really scared?"

"You think it was fear? Not anger?" Jack asked.

"He's asking for his mother. I know what it's like to be angry at a parent...but I also know fear of losing them...a longing for them. I'd say it's the longing, rather than the anger that caused this." Gene frowned.

"Much experience with that?" Jack asked.

"My birth parents abandoned me and two of the only three people in the universe who chose to love me died. Yeah..." Gene's eyes watered. "Yeah, I have a good feeling about this."

"Gene, I'm sorry...I...it slipped my mind." Jack reached out, looking actually upset. Like it hurt him to upset her, but he also seemed confused by that.

Gene pulled her arms closer around herself and stepped away from his hand. "Don't." She put the teddy bear on the bed.

"I've got something." The Doctor said, turning on a machine. A recording began to play.

"Do you know where you are?" The doctor asked on the tape.

"Are you my mummy?"

Every time the doctor asked a question, the child responded with his own, asking about his mother.

"Doctor, I've heard this voice before." Rose commented.

"Me too." He agreed with a nod.

"Always 'Are you my mummy?' like he doesn't know... Why doesn't he know?" Rose asked.

"Some of us never get to know that answer." Gene fiddled with the locket around her neck. Something was flapping.

"Mummy? Please mummy?"

"Doctor?" Rose asked.

"Can you sense it?" He asked.

"Sense what?" Jack asked.

Flapping? Gene wondered. What was that sound?

"Coming out of the walls. Can you feel it?"

"Mummy?"

"Go to your room..." Gene whispered, then took a sharp breath. "Doctor?"

"Funny little human brains...how do you get around in those things."

"When he's stressed, he likes to insult species." Rose rolled her eyes.

"Of course he's stressed." Gene said, speaking up. "A med ship lands near homeless children."

"It was harmless." Jack insisted.

The Doctor nodded and pointed to Gene. "Yes, suppose a child is hurt, altered by it."

"Altered how?" Rose asked.

"That's not the problem." Gene said. "Scared kid, strong kid. _I...we_ told him to go to his room."

"I'm here!"

"The tape's over, Doctor." Gene frowned and looked down.

"I sent it to it's room. This is it's room."

Gene moved closer to the others. 

"Doctor?" Rose asked, panicked.

Jack stepped forward. "Okay, on my signal, make for the door." He pulled out a banana and pointed it at the kid. "Now!"

"Smooth, Doctor." Gene commented.

The Doctor grinned and pulled out the gun, creating a hole in the wall. "Go, now! Don't drop the banana!"

"Why not?" Jack demanded.

"Good source of potassium!" Gene and the Doctor shouted together. She smiled, there was something nice about that, about being able to know what he'd say.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene didn't like waiting around. Sure, she figured Jack really was trying to get them, but she didn't like twiddling her thumbs. It was like being back in that tube again, water coming up. She couldn't just sit there and drown, she'd work to find her own way out...until she was gone. The music he was playing was nice, given that it was better than the alternative. Gene found herself humming along as she looked at the window. "Maybe the sonic?"

The Doctor looked at her and nodded. "Possibly." He pulled over a chair, climbed up next to her and scanned the bars. "Let's see..."

"Maybe setting 258AG?" Gene suggested.

The Doctor paused and turned to look at her. "How... How do you even have an idea about that?"

"I've used the screwdriver a few times. You taught me...sort of." She didn't know a lot of the settings, but enough to stumble through things.

"Huh, interesting." The Doctor said, then began to adjust the screwdriver.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked from her sitting place.

"Trying to set up a resonation pattern in the concrete, loosen the bars." The Doctor said.

"I could fit through the window." Gene nodded. She was the most petit of them.

"You don't think he's coming back, do you?" Rose asked.

"I do. I just don't like being idle." Gene shrugged.

"I wouldn't bet my life on it, myself." The Doctor turned and looked at her. "Why do you trust him?"

"I've met him before. He...threated not only to kill someone but to make their life a hell if they touched me." Gene answered. "Now, maybe he isn't now who he will be in the future, but I know he cares...he will care. I'm sorry the tense is all messed up." Gene shook her head.

Rose's eyes were narrowed, then she spoke up. "He saved my life. I trust him because he's like you." Then she leaned forward and put on a flirty face. "Except with dating and dancing."

The Doctor's face wrinkled and he looked almost confused. He looked from Gene to Rose, still making a face, then he turned back to the window.

"What?" Rose asked.

"You just assume I'm..." He trailed off.

"What?" Rose demanded.

"He's allowed not to talk if he doesn't want to." Gene muttered.

But the Doctor turned. "You just assume that I don't dance."

Rose laughed in a tone that Gene had heard her use before, flirty and light. "What, are you telling me you DO dance?"

"Nine hundred years old, me. I've been around a bit." He nodded. "I think you can assume at some point I've danced."

"You?" Rose asked looking him up and down.

"Problem?"

Gene didn't understand. It seemed like they were talking about something else that wasn't actually dancing. Was it one of those weird people things? She wasn't always great at social cues.

"Doesn't the universe implode or something if you dance?" Rose said, still with that flirty tone.

"Well, I've got the moves, but I wouldn't want to boast." The Doctor said, turning back to the window.

The radio turned up. "You've got the moves? Show me your moves." Rose challenged.

"Rose, I'm trying to resonate concrete." The Doctor protested.

"Oh, Jack'll be back, he'll get us out. So, come on." She urged, holding a hand out.

The Doctor glanced at Gene.

"I can work on this window if you want to dance. But I would bet that, yeah, Jack'll come back." Gene shrugged. "Go ahead."

"Come on, the world doesn't end because the Doctor dances." Rose said the words like they were a taunt, a challenge.

The Doctor tossed the sonic screwdriver to Gene and he hopped down. He went to Rose and Gene worked while they spoke. She tried not to think about it much, about what they were talking about. Then she yelped when she fell, the chair she'd been standing on was no longer there. She found herself quickly caught in a warm pair of arms. 

"I've got you." Jack whispered, holding her close to his chest. He looked at her with a soft smile, then confusion furrowed his brow.

Gene looked back at him. There was something...off about him. She shook herself. "Thank you. For the teleport, and the catch."

"Of course." He nodded, slowly letting her down. They both turned to look at the Doctor and Rose.

"If ever he was a captain, he's been defrocked."

Jack snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah? Shame I missed that." Rose said, flirty.

"Actually, I quit. Nobody takes my frock." Jack retorted, just as flirty. But Gene had grown to expect that from him. Did he know Ianto yet? Or...not? He seemed to have settled in and really liked Ianto. "Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are soooo sweet."

Gene, for some reason, didn't like that comment. Maybe her sister did have a point....maybe she really did like the Doctor as more than a friend... That didn't matter though. He liked Rose, and by what she knew, his time with her was short. She knew she shouldn't get in the way.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene followed Jack down toward the soldier. "Wait up."

"Gene, I'm telling you, Algy doesn't well, dance your way."

"I'm getting the impression that you are all using 'dancing' as a euphemism for sex."

"Yes. Very astute, Gene Cooper." Jack smiled charmingly at her. "You know, it's weird. Most people react differently around me."

"React how?" Gene wondered.

"I have fifty-first century pheromones, usually drives people into a dancing sort of mood." 

"Sorry, apparently it doesn't work on me." Gene frowned. Sure, he smelt pleasant, it wasn't like he smelled bad or offensive, he just didn't smell amazing...not the way the Doctor's cologne did, anyway. "Besides, I don't dance literally or metaphorically."

"A girl like you? Not dance at all?" Jack asked, looking shocked.

Gene shrugged. "Never been an option. People have to like you first to dance literally or metaphorically."

"Their loss, you're a beautiful young woman." Jack commented. "You should at least dance literally, I mean. I'm not trying to say we should, you know, but you know, maybe dancing to music."

"You flirt with everything that walks, but you're always weird around me."

"No offense, but...I just don't...have that feeling with you. I doubt you do either."

Gene nodded. "I appreciate the honesty. And you're right. I don't have that feeling with you either." She looked from him to the guard. "Go, do your thing. I'll watch your back, just in case more of those...things show up."

"Thank you, Gene." He patted her shoulder and walked up toward the guard. "Hey, tiger, how's it hanging?"

Gene watched, keeping an eye out for him, but then she heard the man, Algy, say 'mummy.' Her eyes widened and she rushed to Jack, who was reaching for the man. "Don't touch him." Gene warned, stepping between them and pushing Jack back, away from Algy.

"M-Mummy?" The soldier asked sadly as he fell to his knees, looking up at Gene and reaching for her.

This time, Jack wrenched her away from the sick man. "I've got you. You're not gonna die here."

"Here?" Gene asked as the Doctor and Rose came forward.

Captain Jack Harkness had made a few comments alluding to Gene's demise. He knew something about her...something the Doctor likely knew too, but wasn't telling her. And everyone kept asking her age when they met her. Gene knew that meant only one thing. She had a problem to figure out right now though, her own death would have to be put on the back burner

Someone was singing a lullaby.

The others went towards the sound, but Gene remained. It dawned on her...she was going to die and soon. Apparently her time was limited. Why didn't they tell her that though? Everyone's time was limited. Life could end at any moment, that's what made life special. Were they really so afraid for her to find that out? She knew that. Now, though, she was curious... Just how long would it be until she was dead?

'Always make the most of it. You've still got time to run, Gene...so run.' Her thoughts egged her on. Maybe she would then. Somewhere in the future her tombstone had a date on it, but that didn't mean she was that old when she'd died. Time travel...she had more time on her hands than her grave said. She'd run and she'd enjoy it. She'd live.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Everyone had lived, and a young boy had his mother back. Gene appreciated it. It was a nice change to see the Doctor so happy, instead of burdened. He looked lighter that way, younger. Gene watched from the railing as he and Rose danced and Jack ran into the TARDIS.

"Okay...annnnd right and turn." Rose guided the Doctor.

Gene looked away.

"I'm sure I used to know this stuff." The Doctor huffed. "Close the door, will you? Your ship's about to blow up, there's going to be a draft."

Jack closed the door as Gene moved to the console so the Doctor wouldn't have to step away from Rose. She set the TARDIS to fly away from the bomb. 

"Welcome to the TARDIS." The Doctor said to Jack. He broke away from Rose anyway and helped Gene fly the TARDIS. "You're really getting the hang of this."

"I had a good teacher." Gene shrugged.

"Much bigger on the inside." Jack nodded, looking around.

"You'd better be." The Doctor warned.

Gene sat in the jumpseat and put her feet up on the console. She'd learned quickly to wear shorts under her dresses, especially when she was traveling with the Doctor, there was no knowing what might happen, and she didn't have the time to make sure people weren't looking up her skirt, not that she garnered much of that kind of attention anyway. 

As it was, the others were dancing and she remained in her seat.

She got up while the three were laughing and walked down the stairs. She wandered the halls until she came to the library. She browsed the books for a few moments. There was a temptation, a curiosity to see her biography, to see how much time she had left, but she left instead, stepping back into the hallway. The corridors had twisted, looking different from how they had when she'd first walked through them.

"I don't know why you like doing this to me, but it's a bit annoying, Beautiful." Gene said to the TARDIS. She shook her head and walked down the hallway. She found herself in the console room quickly. The music was still playing, quietly, but Jack and Rose were gone. The Doctor lingered, looking at the console.

"I was wondering where you went." The Doctor commented. "You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. A little wound up." It was so weird. Knowing she was going to die, likely in short order. Part of her was fine with it, part of her knew death was inevitable, a necessity. But the other part of her insisted that it wasn't fair, that she'd only just begun to live. 

"Don't like dancing?"

"Never danced before."

"What?" The Doctor asked. "Blimey, how does that happen?"

"It just does." The Doctor stepped away from the console and held his hand out to Gene as music started, quiet cello music that seemed...familiar. Gene couldn't think of the title to the song though. Something about it screamed 'musical' though. She looked at the Doctor's hand, confused. "What's up?"

"Dance with me?"

"I don't know how."

"That's alright, wouldn't be the first time someone stepped on my toes." The Doctor grinned.

Gene bit her lip nervously as a piano began to play. She might be very bad at this...but she had always wanted to learn. It always seemed so fun. Her sister loved dancing and always made it seem special. Her sister and that girl, Sophia, had both wanted her to live. 'Well, you only live once.' Gene thought and took his hand.

"Alright." He used his other hand to guide her left hand to his arm, then placed his hand on her back. "Just follow me."

"Um, okay." Gene followed his steps. They were just slow enough for her to keep up, without being out of sync with the music. A violin joined and Gene recognized the tune. It was a musical piece, Rewrite the Stars. Her sister had adored that film. Gene had liked the music. 

"There, see? Not too hard." The Doctor grinned. "Now relax, close your eyes and just listen to the music."

It got easier once she closed her eyes, easier to move with the music, as if it were instinct. But it got more difficult too. Seriously, what sort of cologne did this guy wear? It was nice and his hands were warm. It was like when the other Doctor had pulled her up the side of the cliff. His hands were strong, sure, protective. 'Oh fuck. I do like him.' Gene thought to herself. 'Shit.' Not only was her sister going to give her a big 'I told you so,' Gene was also doomed.

If she knew anything, it was that he cared for Rose. Rose was prettier than her, more emotionally aware than her...and actually had some sort of romantic worth. Gene had none of those things. And it didn't matter, did it? Gene was expired. Going, going, gone. Right?

Why did that hurt?

Gene smiled, but she didn't know why. Is this what humanity felt like? A mix of pain and happiness. She felt tears well up, but she didn't let them spill out, because then the Doctor would ask questions. Due to her blurred eyesight, she tripped over her feet and fell against his chest.

The Doctor huffed out a laugh and caught her. "Everyone trips over themselves at some point."

Gene forced herself to laugh and pushed away from the Doctor's chest maybe after a second too long. "Perhaps it's not my area of expertise."

"We all start somewhere." The Doctor grinned. "I had two left feet. When I danced for the first time I nearly knocked out my partner's teeth. Not a great day."

Gene chuckled. "I should, um, get to bed. Thank you. It was nice to dance."

"You're welcome. That's sort of the point of this, traveling, running around, trying new things, seeing the universe."

"Living." Gene nodded. How did he do it? How could he live a life knowing everything around him was dust? How could someone with two, big hearts survive it? But...then again, maybe that's what made him so kind and so lonely. She waved to him and rushed out of the console room, heading for her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.


	19. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about all the space. I'm not sure I need to say that life is crazy right now. We're all living it, I think.

Gene sat in the kitchen and sipped a cup of coffee. It wasn't helping. Her head was still throbbing.

"You seemed upset last night." Jack's voice called.

She sat up and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I saw...you and the Doctor. Got a thing for him, do you?" Jack strode into the kitchen and leaned against the counter opposite of her. 

"I... It doesn't matter." Gene shook her head.

Jack's face fell. "It does to you."

"No. It doesn't." Gene disagreed.

"Why? Just waltz on up, tell him. What's the worst that can happen?"

"He doesn't like me like that. He sees me as a friend. Besides it's not like I have the time."

Jack's whole body shifted. He looked uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"

"Jack, I've met you many times and you look at me with worry every time, asking me how old I am." Gene looked at him. "I told you how old I was and you said: Shame about that. The only logical thing I can conclude is that I die in relatively short order."

Jack swallowed, hard. "2025."

Gene nodded. "Figured as much." She wasn't sure if she was relieved or more stressed. Every time she went back home she'd be inching closer to her own death.

"You don't seem shaken."

"But I am. For the first time in my life I feel alive and now I know that it'll end soon." Why hadn't the Doctor told her? Her brain supplied the number of seconds she had left, if she managed to live through all of 2025. She could see it, like sand in an hourglass. Every time she stepped back into her own timeline, the sand would fall, one grain for every second until there was none left.

"Hey, hey, breathe." Jack warned.

"I'm terrified and I've never been terrified before." Gene shook her head. 

'That's not true. Terror is an old friend.' A voice in her head disagreed. 'Anger and terror, both terrible old friends.'

A sharp, stabbing pain pierced her forehead. She grimaced and closed her eyes. The pain didn't go away, it got worse. Like someone shoving an icepick into her skull. "I'm going to get some rest. If anyone asks I'm not feeling well." Gene put her mug down and rushed out of the room.

"Gene!"

The shout after her hurt her head, but she ran as far as she could, as fast as she could. She needed to get to her room, to lay down somewhere safe, and hopefully avoid people and questions. Everything hurt. Arms. Legs. Chest. Gut. Everything. But her head was the worst. She couldn't hold open her eyes, it hurt too much. She stumbled and fell toward a pillar in the wall. Small warm arms grabbed her. 

"Oi! What are you doing falling over like that?"

"Don't touch me. Don't touch me!" Gene curled up against the wall. She couldn't see, even when she did get her eyes open. The world swirled and it seemed dark around the edges. Bad things happened in the dark, bad people hid in the dark corners, she knew it. Her head hurt so much. It was indescribable. And the screaming wouldn't stop. Why wouldn't the screaming stop? She'd had bad headaches before, but this was something else, this was too much. She'd wanted to claw out her own brains before, but maybe if she slammed her head really hard against a wall it would stop. Maybe if she just died she'd never have to feel this again.

"Nope. No. None of that." Hands wrapped around her head. "Up you get. Come on."

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

"Hello?" She asked before she stumbled, falling to her knees in sadness. "Who am I? Help me. I don't know where I am. Please. Anyone? I don't know where I am." Her head hurt and she sniffled, tears falling down her cheeks. She wiped them off and pushed herself up. She didn't know who she was or where she was, but there had to be a reason for why she was there. She could find it and crying over her circumstances wouldn't get her any nearer to figuring out what was happening.

The walls looked familiar. It looked like she'd been here before. What was it? Home? No. Yes? Had she lived here before? She was pretty sure she'd lived here, how else would it be so familiar? Someone was crying. Her heart broke a little bit at the sound. "Hello?" She continued down the hallway and saw a beautiful young woman holding her head tightly, her nails digging into her temples drawing blood. She was obviously in agony. "We did it wrong." She whispered, but she didn't know what she meant by it. She didn't know who 'we' was or what 'it' was, only that she felt guilt and shame because the woman was in pain. Somehow it was her fault. She didn't know who she was, but she knew that this girl's pain was her doing.

The young, redheaded woman fell towards a pillar.

"Oi! What are you doing falling over like that?" She felt irrationally scared as she ran and caught the woman before she hit her head on the hard metal.

"Don't touch me. Don't touch me!" The redhead fought, throwing elbows to get away as she sunk to the floor. The blood was flowing from her temples now where her hands dug in, it was as if she was trying to scoop her own brains out.

It was disturbing. But, even more disturbing, was how the woman began to slam her head against the wall, trying to make the pain stop.

"Nope. No. None of that." She grabbed the girl's head in her hands and pulled her from the wall. Then she pulled the woman to her chest. "Up you get, come on." 

The redhead fought against her grip. "I won't. I won't. You can't make me."

"We really screwed up." She said to herself, crying as she pulled the redhead down the hall. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She still had no clue what mistake she'd made, but she was terribly, deeply sorry for the state of the woman in her arms. "Please, please be a safe place for you." She turned and there were no doors in the hallway. She didn't know where she was, but she had the strangest feeling though that this place could hear her. "Please, help me help her."

A door appeared at the end of the hallway.

"Oh, thank you." She half-dragged the fighting auburn girl down to the door.

"Stop the screaming. They're all screaming. It's my fault. They're hurting and it's all my fault. They're hurting because I can't...I won't."

"Nobody's hurting anyone...except for you, poor girl." She dragged the woman into the room and helped her up onto the bed. 

The woman was digging into her head again with her nails, her mouth open in a silent scream as her body shook.

"How do I make this stop? She'll hurt herself at this rate." She rushed around the room, looking for anything that would help the young woman. But it was just a bedroom, no medicine at hand. She didn't want to leave the woman, because she might roll of the bed and injure herself, but she had no choice. She needed something that would put the girl out of her misery. "Just...just wait here, I'll go get help or something."

She left the girl in the bed and ran to the door pulling it open. Directly across the hall there was a door with a name on it. Instantly she recognized the name on it as her own and covered her mouth. She remembered. She knew who she was and where she was and who the young woman in the room was. "TARDIS." This ship, the TARDIS always fought her, but not today. "This is Gene we're talking about. Gene needs help, so help me help her, ol' girl."

There was a sound, humming.

She rushed forward and threw open the door with her name on it, finding herself in the medbay instead of her bedroom. "You and my bedroom, a constant fight with you." She shuffled through the needles in the back until she found a sedative. "Might help." She ran back to Gene's bedroom and grabbed her arm.

"No, p-please." Gene begged. "Don't. No more needles. I can't. No more."

"Sorry, sweetie." She pressed the needle into her arm and injected the sedative.

Gene slowly went limp, with a whimper. But even unconscious, her face was scrunched in pain. 

"I'm sorry. You would have driven yourself mad like that." Clara brushed the hair from Gene's face and then her hand froze, moving down to the locket that hung from her neck. She was almost sure she could hear faint screams coming from the locket. "It's all our fault. I'm so sorry." She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Gene's forehead. "Rest now, it'll be over once you wake up." A tear slipped down her face. "I'm sorry about the monster in your head. I'm sorry.."

Then, her surroundings vanished and she was falling again, lost, alone, and confused.

-DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW-

Gene opened her eyes and frowned. How had she gotten to her room? She could almost remember hearing a voice, almost remember gentle hands pulling her through the TARDIS, but...her head still hurt. She slowly walked to the kitchen, hungry and a bit tired. She could do with a nap, maybe then her headache would ease off the rest of the way. She heard voices talking as she approached the kitchen.

Rose was laughing brightly at something Jack was saying.

Gene rubbed her head one last time and then walked into the room.

"...and then we... Gene?" Jack sounded concerned.

"Oh, there you are, Gene, feeling better?" The Doctor asked.

"Huh? Um mostly, have a bit of a headache is all."

"Jack said you were under the weather. I came to check on you but you didn't answer when I knocked, I assumed you just needed sleep."

"Sleep?" Gene's eyebrows scrunched together. They were having breakfast. Surely she hadn't been too long. "I don't remember taking a nap."

The Doctor turned and looked at her, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "A nap? I haven't seen you since the night before last. I'm not sure that matches the definition of nap?"

"But it's breakfast..." Gene said confused. "I left before breakfast.

Jack got out of his chair and walked forward, putting his hand to her forehead. "You don't feel ill... Gene, you've been asleep for a day."

"But I don't... I don't remember that." She didn't remember going to her room or laying down or anything. She just remembered pain and screaming and fear and anger...nothing else.

Jack pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you really okay?"

"Um...yeah. I think so. I think I just had a migraine or something."

"That's not what I was asking you about." Jack said, pulling away and holding her by her shoulders.

"It's fine." Gene couldn't waste her time thinking about the abrupt end in her future. The clock was ticking and she had to fit as much living into that time as she could. "I'm alright."

"Something happen to you?" The Doctor asked. "Why didn't you say? Were you hurt?"

Gene looked from Jack to the Doctor. Rose was sitting between them, staring at Gene. Gene looked down at her feet. "I know, Doctor."

"Know what?"

Gene took a deep breath. "I know what happens in twenty-twenty-five."

"Lot's of things happen in that year, what do you mean?" The Doctor asked.

"Just stop. It's okay. I had my panic and everything. All things considered, I'm adjusting."

The Doctor played the fool for one more moment, before his face fell into sadness, then anger. That anger he directed at Jack. "You told her?"

"He didn't have to." Gene shook her head and stepped between Jack and the Doctor. "I'm a genius, remember? He didn't have to say a word. I already knew."

"You," the Doctor's breath shook, "you shouldn't have to know."

"Well, I've got access to a time machine, figure I've got some bonus time. And I've been living more now than I ever have. We all have our time, Doctor."

"You shouldn't have to carry that burden."

Gene shrugged. "What's one more? Sure, I'm scared, but life's scary, isn't it?"

The Doctor walked forward and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I never wanted you to know that."

"It's okay. Just can't keep a secret from me, huh?" She laughed a fake laugh. Then she pulled away. "It's alright. It's not like I'm dying right now. It's in the future. Just like everything else. Why waste time being scared? I've been scared for most of my life. I think I'd enjoy not being scared for a change."

The Doctor lifted his hand, cupping her face gently. "You are fantastic. Completely mad...but fantastic." He kissed her forehead gently. "You sure you're alright?"

"I have a headache, but that's normal for me at this point. Used to have them all the time, just think they're flaring up again."

"Wait...you mean like she's dyin'?" Rose asked.

"Less than two Earth-years." Gene nodded. "But I'm not on Earth, not living in the right order. I have some time."

"And we'll run, won't we?" The Doctor asked, but it also sounded like a promise.

"Sounds like the best time in my life is right ahead of me." Gene said with a genuine smile, but a tear leaked from her eye.

"Please don't cry." Jack stated.

"What's it to you?" Gene asked, pulling away from the Doctor and wiping her face.

"I don't know what it is, but I really don't like seeing you cry." Jack shook himself, his face pinched in a strange way. 

"I'll try not to then." Gene shrugged. "I think I'll rest for a bit longer. This headache is lingering, usually they go away. I should be just fine as soon as it's gone." She smiled up at the Doctor. "I should be ready to run soon. But you guys get out there."

"You sure?" The Doctor asked.

"Absolutely." Gene nodded. "I'll join you when I can and I'll even get my running shoes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Love.

**Author's Note:**

> Much love.


End file.
